Chapter 26: A Storm of Emotion
To fate02: Wao, 3 loves, I'm impressed. And here's the next chapter for you! Hattori won't be appearing for a while, but at least he now knows where Kudo is- Italy, the home of the Mafia. It's not looking good for the pair. *cue music*
Kya, wasn't the latest chapter awesome too. I loved the little ColoLal moment, and then Reborn totally interrupts it. Poor everyone though, not getting any sleep, lol.
"Now with that settled" says Nono, moving on from KID and Shinichi's mission arrangements "It's time for you to do the same."
Tsuna goes as white as a sheet and swallows hard. However he puts up a determined face, the will to accomplish in his eyes. Just remember what the Vongola Bosses told me. I can do this!
"S-So it's time to start?" he confirms. He hadn't expected it to start this soon.
"That's right Tsunayoshi." Says the Ninth with a comforting smile. He was trying to ease Tsuna's worry. "It's time for you and your Guardians to learn our ways, truly and completely. There will be no protection now. There will be no barriers; your eyes will be well and truly open to the world around you."
"Wait! I-I I don't want them to do this. I don't want the Guardians to go through it. L-Let me go first" Reborn and Nono share a look- it's just like Tsuna to try and protect them from this. Futile, yet so purely Tsuna. Well, if he wanted it that way…
"Fine" sighs Nono. "I wasn't going to let you go first, but if you insist." Tsuna nods his head.
"And, I don't want you to let them know either. They'd get worried and want to come with me." Tsuna looks at Reborn for agreement.
"They'd distract you" he says assuredly. Tsuna looks down, not wanting to acknowledge the truth in that sentence. They would be a distraction. It would be hard enough as it was without them standing there, watching his every move, trying to give him encouragement, or trying to talk him out of it. He didn't need that.
"We won't tell them either Tsuna. You've just got to keep them off our case in return. It won't be easy balancing our time with them during the day, but we'll do it somehow. It'll be easier once we all start getting missions, they won't know when we're supposed to be here or not. And with them out of the house so often, they will notice even less." Assures KID, talking for both him and Shinichi.
Shinichi sighs "There goes my sleep." KID gives him a look and Shinichi merely shrugs.
"So, when's the first one?" Asks Tsuna nervously, looking between Nono and Reborn.
"Tomorrow" they both say. Tsuna's eyes widen slightly once more- that soon?
"You'll have the rest of today to rest after the party, after all it is 3 AM. But, so you don't worry about it too much, we put it as tomorrow. We don't want you to worry yourself into being sick." Explains the Ninth. Well, that makes sense thinks Tsuna, kind of grateful that it would be over and done with.
Seeing that the conversation had come to a natural pause, KID fake yawns loudly, once again reiterating how early in the morning it actually was. Shinichi rolls his eyes at KID's gesture.
Timoteo chuckles at the motion too "KID is right, it is time to go to bed. Get some sleep Tsunayoshi. I'll see you at dinner." As he stands, so do the others, bowing until he had made his exit.
"You heard him Tsuna, go to bed" orders Reborn, a sadistic smile on his face as he jumps up to kick Tsuna. Tsuna dodges, but Reborn simply spins around in mid-air and attacks Tsuna from behind instead. More kicks force Tsuna towards the door. Fumbling with the handle, Tsuna opens the door with a loud Heeii before scurrying to the relative safety of his room.
A door slams open, revealing a sleepy Gokudera, dressed in PJ bottoms, dynamites in between every finger. "Juudaime, are you alright?" he shouts.
Kaito walks over and with hands on his shoulders, spins Gokudera around and walks him back to bed. "There's no need to worry Gokudera. Tsuna is perfectly fine. He was just shocked over the time, that's all" It was a tiny lie, but Gokudera let Reborn smack Tsuna around anyway- something they had never understood. Must be because Reborn is the most dominant of them all.
Coming out of the room and shutting the door behind him gently, he finds that no one else is in sight. Reborn should have been in Tsuna's room, sleeping on the hammock like usual. He suspected that Shinichi had gone ahead of him. Indeed as soon as he walked into their corridor, he could hear Shinichi's shower running. It was one of the first things Shinichi had installed. The rooms had baths, but Shinichi apparently liked showers better. Stepping into Shinichi's room, he knocked on the door to the bathroom.
"Shin-chan? I came to say Good night." He says, raising his voice to be heard over the shower.
"Hmm, Oh, yeah, you too. Good Night Kai." He shouts back.
"Good work tonight" Kaito adds "We're one step closer now" he says that a bit quieter, looking down at his feet.
"Yes, we are" replies Shinichi turning the shower off. "So it'll get dangerous from here on out. I…"
Kaito wonders at this pause. "I…" he prompts. Listening against the door, he can hear some shuffling, as if something's moving a lot and really fast. "Shin-chan I?" he asks again, wanting an answer- it had sounded important.
"I… trust you… to look after my back. And I… I'll look after yours too" It was almost too quiet to hear through the door, but to Kaito, it was as loud as Ryohei normally was.
"Shin-chan!" shouts Kaito, forgetting himself and slamming the door open- that lock stood no chance. He bounces over and hugs Shinichi tightly. He knows how hard it is for the detective to trust someone, and how embarrassing it must have been for him to say that.
Shinichi had guessed that this would be the reaction, so had gotten dressed in his night clothes as quickly as possible. "Kai, you're squeezing the life out of me. Kai, Kai. Kaito let go"
Once he does, Shinichi pushes him out of the bathroom and out of his room. "Good night Kaito" he says firmly, before shutting the door in Kaito's face. Kaito however just smiled instead of getting offended and walked into his room.
They all slept in until after noon, where they convened for a very late breakfast.
"Ne, where are KID and Shinichi? I wanted to say how good the heist was last night." Asks Yamamoto, looking at the empty spaces at the end of the table.
"Not sure. I don't even know where their rooms are to check on them." Replies Tsuna, for he really didn't. They had never mentioned where they slept. It wasn't in one of the rooms on their level though; he'd checked them all.
A rose lands on the table, perfectly fitting amongst the flowers already there. They all look around the room, trying to find where it came from, or more importantly who.
Lambo clambers onto the table to grab the rose and finds that there was a note attached.
Thank you for your praise, New Years was well and truly mine. And the grinning doodle sat at the bottom
There was a few moments of silence. "Wait, that means he can hear us. So where is he then?" analyses Gokudera.
"KID is over there" says Kaito. Everyone looks in the direction Kaito is pointing, and the boy laughs his head off. Heads turn back to him and they notice Shinichi is there too, sipping at his coffee. No one had heard them enter the room or the door open.
"Oy, thief-baka. How are you going to give the jewels back when you are all the way over here?" questions Gokudera, fingers tapping against the table.
"Well" starts Kaito, propping his head up with his hand "As soon as KID took the monocle back from Shinichi" the magician gives Shinichi a glare, but Shinichi just smiles back, the same smile as when he solves a case and is happy with himself. "I went back to all of the rooms and put the jewels back. I also took out any gadgets that I had planted in there. Wouldn't want anyone to harm themselves on them. Plus, it might be incriminating. I'm sure that the police would love to get ahold of some of KID's toys." Gokudera seems happy with the revelation, and goes back to eating.
"Well, that heist was awesome" compliments Yamamoto, a smile on his face as always.
"Yes, I enjoyed it to the EXTREME" concurs Ryohei.
"Yeah, there was fire and flying paintings and ice and the whole start with you coming out of the water. I loved all of it" cheers Lambo, bouncing in his seat over his excitement. "And you rigged all of the fireworks too. People must have been expecting theirs to go off and they didn't. How did you manage that?"
Kaito smiles and taps his nose "Magician Thieves don't reveal how they do their magic tricks and heists I'm afraid. It would ruin the wonder of the moment." Lambo pouts and spends the rest of the meal trying to get Kaito to tell him how to do some of those magic tricks.
After the meal is finished, they go their separate ways, whether that is to exercise, to train or to read a book. Gokudera however, sticks to Tsuna's side more than usual. When they are finally alone in the lounge, Gokudera confronts his Juudaime.
"Are you alright Juudaime? You're not feeling ill or anything? Should I call a doctor?" he walks across the room to take Tsuna's temperature. He stares at the ceiling, trying to tell if Tsuna's forehead feels the same temperature as his own does. "No fever." He mumbles
"Gokudera, I'm fine. Just tired that's all. I didn't go to sleep very well last night." Tsuna explains. It's half the truth- he is fine, he is tired, and he didn't get a good night sleep, but he didn't mention the reason is because he's worried. He doesn't want to worry Gokudera, and it's not like he can get out of the training, so there's nothing to complain about. Stop worrying and Grow Up Tsuna. Take it like a man. He says to himself.
Gokudera watched him like a hawk for the rest of the day, making sure that Tsuna ate enough and drank enough water. He was worried when Tsuna decided to take a nap whilst they were in the library, but Tsuna had said he didn't sleep well last night. And if he had woken up when the meeting had finished, then it was quite early in the morning before Tsuna could even attempt to sleep. So maybe, adding in the party and worry for KID and maybe Juudaime really was just tired. So, he grabbed a book off of the shelf and kept watch whilst his Boss slept.
At dinner Tsuna seemed back to normal, but it was only because he was watching out for it, that Gokudera noticed Juudaime still wasn't as happy as he usually was. The laughs were shorter, the smiles weaker, the sparkle in his eyes gone. But there was nothing he could do if Juudaime said he was fine. It could all be put down to being tired, but Gokudera was sure it was something else. He was so distracted by watching Tsuna that he didn't even notice Kaito- still dressed as KID in public- and Shinichi's sneak entrance, nor their flashy exit.
Gokudera was still worrying over his Juudaime even as he lay in bed that night.
The next morning was no different, and bags under Tsuna's eyes indicated that he hadn't slept well last night either.
Once breakfast was finished, Yamamoto asked "So what do you want to do today guys?" There were a few murmurs, but nothing definite.
"Well, I think you guys should go to the city and explore. We need to know our surroundings after all. Would you all be willing to go and scope it out for me?" Tsuna asks.
Kaito and Shinichi take the hidden cue and jump on the idea.
"Of course! We would love to do this mission for you Tsuna" says Kaito.
"Knowing the surroundings would be very beneficial to you. We wouldn't want you to get in trouble if you didn't know what to expect." Adds in Shinichi. The others all perk up.
"And we can tell you all of the paramount shops to visit. After all, only the best for our Juudaime" Kaito half bows in his seat, extending an arm towards Tsuna. Of course the use of Juudaime was intentional too, and just like they suspected, all of the others suddenly decided visiting the city would be the best idea in the world.
This was something Tsuna had learnt over the past five years. If he wanted something done, it was best to order them. But since he didn't like ordering his friends around, he went for the next best thing, requesting things. Immediately Gokudera offered to go, willing to do anything for Juudaime. Yamamoto agreed too, as did the others, saying that it would be interesting to see the city.
It wasn't until they were piling out of the doors that they finally realised that Tsuna wasn't coming with them.
"Oh, Tsuna-nii isn't coming?" asks Lambo looking back over his shoulder.
Tsuna waves them into the car. "I'm afraid not. I have things to do with the Ninth." He can see Gokudera wanted to object. "Well, make sure you guys cover every inch of the place alright. I would be disappointed if you didn't. Gokudera, I trust that you'll get the job done right, even if you have to do it yourself." There Gokudera would be happy not having to babysit the rest, and it kept him in the city instead of here.
Gokudera's face lit up with the sudden responsibility. "Don't worry Juudaime. I won't leave a street unchecked." Tsuna smiled happily at them all before closing the door to the car and sending them off. Kaito and Shinichi would know to keep them in the city until he returned and the mission was over.
So with them gone, all he could do was wait for Nono's summons.
It came just after noon. Reborn came along with Nono's Right Hand Man to collect him. Following the twisting corridors they eventually arrived at Nono's office. Knocking on the door, Tsuna and Reborn entered alone.
Nono was sitting at his desk, finishing signing the last of the papers in the pile. He smiled up at Tsuna before waving him into a seat. Already sat down was someone Tsuna had never met before. He was tall with short black hair, wearing a suit as everyone else did when doing business. Tsuna could tell by his posture that he was a Hitman; he was near the edge of his seat, angled to see as much of the room as possible, especially the only exit of the door. His eyes had gone over Tsuna thoroughly before turning back to Nono. He had seen enough of them around the Mansion and at Mafia Conventions to know the type.
"Tsuna, this is Gino, and you'll be escorted by him today. You'll have the same training as all of the other recruits. As a Boss it's important that you are willing to go through what they do. Doing this means that they'll respect you as a boss more. All the heirs go through this, even if they are only candidates." Tsuna nods in agreement and understanding. It was only fair that the Boss only asked what he himself could do, otherwise it wouldn't be right. "The first step is to accompany Gino on this trip and help him out. He'll demonstrate and guide you through the process. The first mission is information gathering, more commonly known as squeezing. I'm sure that you can guess why that is."
Tsuna could guess; the idea was to get information out of the enemy, like an interrogation. But he suspected that more than words were used in this interrogation.
"Well, you had better get going. I've been told that he's ready for you." Intones the Ninth. Gino stands, and Tsuna hurriedly follows suit. They bow to the Ninth before walking out of the door.
They walk in silence for a while, and the man merely gestures for Tsuna to get into the car. It's not until they are on the country roads that the man decided to speak.
"Decimo, you should be fine. Most of the hard work is already done. Other agents have captured him today and his absence won't be missed. He's currently being held in a safe house we have. Since it's one of ours, the walls are soundproofed so no one can hear him. After we are done, the cleaners will come in and remove all traces of our presence. There'll be no fingerprints, DNA or anything else they can use to trace us with. You are perfectly safe." Tsuna does feel a little better, however none of that was on his mind at the moment, even though he suspects that it should have been.
Looking out of the window, he realises that they too are heading for the city. He just hopes that he doesn't run into the others. They drive into and through most of the city, ending up in a rundown area. The walls were covered in spray paint, there was litter everywhere and everyone around seemed to mind their own business. They park in a garage before climbing the stairs into what looks like a house. There is literally the bare minimum in here, no paintings, carpets, nothing of comfort. There was a tiny kitchen, a sofa, a television and that was about it. Following Gino further into the apartment, they entre what would normally have been a bedroom.
Tsuna gasps at what he sees. The room is totally bare, the only thing in here is a table, a chair and a light bulb swinging from the ceiling. Sat directly under this light is a man tied to a chair. He is currently gaged, with a nasty bruise forming on his forehead and a scratch bleeding sluggishly on his eyebrow. Tsuna could see other signs of a fight in his ripped clothes. It seems that he fought against the Vongola Mafioso. The man's eyes widen at their entrance, but instead of pleading and begging like Tsuna expected, this man just gave Gino a death glare.
Gino walks over behind the man and grabs his hair, forcing his head up sharply. "This man here is the one we'll be Squeezing. He was sniffing around the party a couple of days ago. Some of our subordinates posted around the venue scared him off. Later on however, one of our men notices a sniper aiming for the balcony whilst you were all distracted by the show KID was putting on. Our men infiltrated the building and cornered the man on the roof. And it was none other than our friend here. He had enough bullets to kill your Guardians."
That got Tsuna mad. He clenched his fists. How dare this man aim for his friends. They hadn't done anything wrong. They were just enjoying the party. Tsuna had never seen this man before in his life, so there was no reason for him to attack his friends. His anger grows and he can feel his blood pumping around his body.
No one harms them. They've done nothing wrong! He growls to himself. And as his feelings boil, he suddenly finds his ring shining. Looking down at the flame that's appeared, he is once again reminded of his Guardians. As long as I have this burning flame, I'll have the resolution to protect them.
Gino smiles at Tsuna's immediate reaction. Nono had told him that Tsuna was very protective of his Guardians, and any threat to them should help make this easier for Tsuna to deal with. So Gino was careful with how he had worded what he had said. And it seems as if it worked.
"So we are going to have a pleasant conversation with him to ask him whether he was enjoying his view of the party" Gino says, all smiles.
Having seen Tsuna's flames, said captive pales. He doesn't have a clue as to what they are, but it seriously scared the shit out of him. He didn't see a lighter, nor any type of spark that could have set it off. If it was any other type of interrogation then he could have handled it. But they were going to use fire against him too? What crazy people was he dealing with here?
Tsuna's flame disappears as soon as he sees the scared look on the captives face. It looked as if the man thought he was going to die. And Tsuna had created that look on the man. He had never had anyone look at him like that before. No one had ever looked like a rabbit in a trap, no one had ever looked like they would ask for mercy. Tsuna had worn that expression himself, when facing the bullies off in middle school. So he knew what it was like. He knew how fast the man's heart would be beating, how shallow his breath would be. Tsuna knew how scared to death the man must be to look like that.
And he didn't like the feeling, knowing he was the one to put that expression on the captive's face.
Fuck, he's lost it already. Grumbles Gino, closely watching Decimo's face. Better get started before he runs.
"So Decimo, the first thing we do is ask if the man is willing to provide us with the information by himself, without any interference." Turning to the man, he grins like a wolf and asks "So, are you willing to tell us why you were targeting Decimo's Guardians at the party?"
Despite his fear of Tsuna's random fire, the man shakes his head. He was loyal to his Family. He wasn't going to betray them. Gino places his hands on the man's shoulders, squeezing into the pressure points there "Are you sure about that?" he asks again. Once more the captive shakes his head. The Family came before him. Sighing, Gino steps backwards. "Well, we'll just see about that."
He turns towards Decimo. "Since he won't give us the information we want willingly, we have to force it out of him. This is where you come in. Pain is often good motivation to get the information we want. We'll start small, we want him to survive after all. Vongola doesn't want to kill any more than we have too. He was only doing his Boss's orders, so you can't blame him too much."
Tsuna slowly nods his head, agreeing that it's not all his fault. Gino accepts this as a show that Decimo is listening and steps to the side of the chair. The man's wrists were bound to the arms of the chair. Slamming a fist down on the man's hand forces it flat against the wood. "So, we start with the fingers. Painful, but nothing life threatening. He'll have to work around them until they heal, but it won't stop him living." Grabbing the man's pinkie finger, he bends it backwards until it breaks. The captive grunts, biting down on the gag to reduce the pain and to stop himself from screaming.
Gino steps away from the man before gesturing to Tsuna. "He was going to snipe your Guardians- he was going to kill them. So isn't it best that we stop him from doing so? Break the finger on his right hand that he uses to pull the trigger. Your friends will be safe. You'll be protecting them." It was all about wording with Decimo, until he accepted what he had to do.
Tsuna looks at the man, looks at his face, but is then reminded that this man was going after them. He was going after Gokudera and Yamamoto and little Lambo and Chrome and the others. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't live without them anymore. But could he really harm this man? They were safe now after all. But if he didn't get the information they needed, then they would be in danger later on. But this man was following orders, so should he be punished for that? However, finding out who he's working for and why he did it meant that Vongola could prepare against it, warn that Family off, and his friends would be safe once more.
But…
But…
Round and round these thoughts went until he was sure he was repeating himself. But finally he decided. Everything came back to the same answer. No matter how lost my worry may seem, no matter how wishful my feelings are, just thinking about it won't change anything. Nothing will change at all. But to keep living a life worth living, to keep them living, if it is necessary then I'll fight with my dying will. For my past with them means too much and I don't want to lose my future with them. So I won't give up. I will do this. No matter how many attempts it takes, I've got to do it. To protect them
Whilst his mind is still whirring away, Tsuna takes slow steps towards the man's right side. The captive gets paler, expecting some more fire to appear from Tsuna. Those slow steps are straining his patience and his fear right to the wire. The steps are so slow that his mind goes into over drive. He starts shaking. They only ever take slow steps when they have something really painful in mind. Slow steps means he wants to see the fear in the captive's eyes, in his own eyes. Oh how he wished that the brat would just hurry up and get it over with!
Whilst we've been together, under the sky, I've learnt so much from them. There are so many things I can do now because of them. So I need to pay them back for that. I'm going to search for their smiles, make sure that they are always happy and content, just like they've made me. My friends have done so much for me, there's no length that I won't go to find their smiles. For my perfect tomorrow, I'll protect them. Since the most important thing is that that they are here with me.
Tsuna looks up at the man, now on his right side. The captive had kept a close eye on Tsuna, tracking his slow progress across the room. Finally their eyes meet. Brown to Green. A small part of Tsuna still balks at the prospect of hurting him. He had never hurt anyone who couldn't fight back before. His enemies had nearly always attacked him first. But now he had to harm an undefended person. He was going to become one of those bullies he so despised.
Shaking his head to clear those thoughts out, he slowly reaches out for the man's hand. I know that I feel like I'm being cruel, but I need to crush it. He was going to harm them. He was going to hurt my friends. I won't allow that. I'll crush this feeling of being cruel. By using my power, I'll make sure that I am never alone again!
Gino smirks when Tsuna's eyes go orange. The captive's eyes widen in confusion. What on earth was going on with this brat? First fire and now his eyes change colour without contacts? Is he even human?
"Tell me" Whispers Tsuna, his voice deep calm and assertive. His Hyper Dying Will voice. Seeing that the man has curled his fingers into a fist to protect them, Tsuna copies Gino's action from earlier. Slamming down his hand, he forces the fist to flatten out. Yet with his flame on this high, it's stronger than usual. The captive screams out as the knuckles are broken. "Why you were going to harm my friends?" The captive whimpers but still says nothing more. Getting angry, Tsuna punches the man across the nose, breaking it. Blood flies everywhere, a lot of it landing on Tsuna. Grabbing the man's trigger finger he roars "Tell me!"
It was about noon, and Shinichi found himself sitting with Kaito in a street side café. It was a nice place to sit, it was in the shade, the slight breeze taking the edge off of the heat, the coffee was excellent, and there was a crowd of rabid fans eagerly asking for autographs… Wait, back up. Shinichi had been so involved in his coffee and the local newspaper that he hadn't noticed the crowd gathering around them, enthusiastic to meet him.
Shinichi looks up at them and smiles, channelling the brat he used to be. "Ciao. How is everyone?" screams of greetings were all Shinichi received in answer
"Well, I'm fine thank you, and I think the crowd is fine too, judging by their enthusiasm." Replies Kaito cheerfully. He had wondered when Shinichi would notice the crowd.
"You were so awesome at the last Heist" screams one woman.
"Yeah, you even had KID's monocle. That was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen" inputs one male, his friends around him agreeing.
Shinichi smiles. The audience think it's due to their praise. It's not. It's due to the look in Kaito's eyes. On the outside, Kaito looks happy for his friend. But his eyes give it all away. KID is the master of Unbelievable. So to give that title to Shinichi was an insult. Shinichi did feel slightly bad for doing that. But it was part of the rules: No holding back. Just because he knew KID's identity, just because it was his childhood friend behind the monocle, just because it was his roommate and fellow Guardian didn't mean that Shinichi should hold back. KID certainly didn't. KID played him like a doll the whole time.
"Whose that sat with you?" asked a teenaged girl. In a flash Kaito is over the rope railing separating the café from the street, with a rose in his hand. "Kaito Kuroba, at your service my lady" The fortunate girl and her friends squeal, looking at one another in surprise and embarrassment.
"He's a friend of mine who is keeping me company during my travels. He is a superb magician." Kaito takes that cue and starts an impromptu show right there in the middle of the street. By the end of it he had the audience crying in laughter and wonder. Everyone walks away with smiles on their faces. And Shinichi's wrist was saved from signing autographs too.
In another part of the world, one woman searches through her contacts, angrily punching the phone with small dainty fingers. Finding the bastard she's looking for, she hits the call button. The man across from her sighs at her behaviour, but that's all just a face. He's worried more than angry. Knowing that the man across from her would most likely have some valid input into this conversation, she hits the option for speaker phone. Knowing she needs to calm down, she takes a breath. It's not like her to get this angry. Only one thing can, and he's managed to trigger it.
As the last of the crowd walks away, Shinichi's phone starts ringing. Taking a look at the Caller ID, it's a good thing the crowd has left. Kaito turns around to find Shinichi dragging one hand down his face. Kaito can see the mental preparation going on, so he sits back down, moving the chair to sit closer to Shinichi in wordless support.
"Hello." Shinichi answers.
"What were you doing last night?" the voice is like ice down the phone. It was far too emotionless and calm. Shinichi doesn't need to ask what she's talking about. There was only one thing she could have known about him doing last night.
"Haibara, calm down. I know what you are thinking, but it's all part of my plan." Explains Shinichi. Knowing who the person is at the other end of the phone, Kaito decides to stay close- both knew calls like this would be happening sooner or later.
"Your plan?" she asks "What-"
"You are perfectly safe as is the Hakase" Interrupts Shinichi before she can start shouting. For privacy, Shinichi had changed to Japanese as soon as he answered the phone. He kept it quiet so passers-by wouldn't hear it at all.
"Oh we are, are we? Well I haven't seen any of this so called protection." She counters. Agasa looks at the phone in confusion, but also in trust. He believed Shinichi if he said they were protected, but like Ai had said, he hadn't seen any of it.
"Well of course you wouldn't. They wouldn't be very good protection if they were seen. If you could notice them, then so could those men in black." Scoffs Shinichi. It was a good sign though. So far, the men that were protecting Haibara and the others hadn't been found out.
"They? Who's they?" she asks, calming down a bit.
Shinichi wonders how to answer that question. However he decides to go with his usual policy- lying as little as possible. "They are a group of well-trained Body Guards that are looking after you on my behalf. They handle delicate cases like this." Hitmen were hired on as body guards all the time. Let Haibara believe they are the police if that makes her feel better.
"But what about you?" she asks, the angry hint returning. "You've never let Shinichi's name into the papers before. So why now with an elaborate show like that? Even as Conan you never baited KID."
"That is also part of the plan, and the reason for your protectors. I'm going to draw the Organisation out after me. They know that they never killed Kudo Shinichi now. So they'll come here to Italy to kill me. I've got far more protection here than they can get through. I don't want them coming after you or Ran or the Shounen Tantei so I asked for them to assign protection to you."
"Ha, drawing them out. What are you going to do when they answer the call to play? I don't see how this is any closer to destroying their organisation than before." She critics.
"Well, these Italians seem better than the CIA and the FBI. They have a different way of working. I'm sure that they can get into the Organisation and destroy it." Again, there was no need to explain who these Italians were- she didn't need to know.
"Fine. But don't come crying to me when you have a bullet in your head and your corpse is burned to a crisp." She mumbles. Agasa smiles at her, pleased that she understands and is willing to trust Shinichi to sort everything out.
"Oh, Shinichi" comes a different voice down the phone. Shinichi finds he's not surprised at this voice. Of course Agasa-Hakase would be there with Haibara.
"Yes, Hakase" replies Shinichi.
"Who made those gadgets for you? My football belt wouldn't have fitted you. Nor would the watch. They were designed to fit Conan." The belt had looked different. There was another button on it. It also looked as if there was another storage compartment on it too.
Shinichi wasn't expecting that question, but had to laugh slightly at the Professor's protectiveness of his gadget inventions.
"Spanner did for me. I loved your design to much to change it, so he just made it fit my new size. It's all still your work Professor. All Spanner did was lengthen the strap." The professor humphs down the phone, agreeing with Shinichi for now.
Feeling a tug on his arm, he looks at Kaito. All he can see however is the famous Poker Face. It must be bad then. Not wanting to worry the others on the phone Shinichi ends the call naturally.
"If it ever needs maintenance I'll come to you, alright? [sigh] Well I've got to go now. This woman's just dropped dead in the middle of the street. I'm amazed I haven't encountered a case before now. Ciao" and before they can answer back, he ends the call.
Looking up at Kaito, Shinichi carefully asks "Kai, what's wrong?"
Closing the phone, Kaito gives Shinichi a serious look. "It's Tsuna. It seems that he's…"
"Tell me!"
The captive stares Tsuna in the eyes again before defiantly shaking his head.
Tsuna had had enough. Before he knew it, he had the man's trigger finger in his hand and slowly started to twist it. Adding in more and more pressure, the finger eventually snapped and the bone seemed to crumble under Tsuna's force.
Tsuna immediately lets go of the man's hand and his own hands flew to his face. He looks at the man, before quickly looking at Gino and back to the captive once more.
Oh Shit was all Gino could say to himself when he was those deer-in-the-headlight brown eyes. Tsuna looked a little green too.
In a flash, Tsuna is out of the room and running down the stairs. Slamming the door to the outside open, Tsuna has enough time to run into an empty ally before he brings up his breakfast.
As soon as he's finished he can hear Gino's footsteps thumping down the stairs. He couldn't go back. He couldn't go back.
Grabbing his gloves out of his pocket, Tsuna puts them off. He's airborne just as Gino runs out into the street. Flying high into the sky, Tsuna ignores Gino in favour of flying in the direction he's facing. Anywhere, as long as it's far from that room. Just remembering the feeling of the ligaments in the finger snapping and the bone crumbling was enough to make Tsuna feel sick all over again.
Shooting like a rocket over the city, Tsuna doesn't even know where he's going. He just keeps on flying until he finds an interesting patch of land. Yeah, that patch there looked nice.
"It's Tsuna. It seems that he's run off." Explains Kaito.
A strange noise draws them upwards. It's one that Kaito is becoming more familiar with. Raising their heads to look at the sky, they see an orange blur soar over head. And it definitely wasn't a bird. No bird flew that fast.
Running into an empty ally, Kaito checks for cameras, finding none, before clicking and becoming KID. Exiting at a totally different place, he jumps over buildings and walls, using every leverage he can. Eventually he's above the skyline, hanging off a tower of a church. Seeing Tsuna's general direction, KID reaches into a pocket and takes out the tracking monitor he had. When the Guardians were in the car, Kaito had placed trackers on them so he could round them up quicker later. Taking a look now, KID found that Gokudera was the only one in that current direction. The rest were the other side of town, most likely goggling over the market there.
Please don't let him notice wishes KID.
Yet Lady Luck isn't watching over KID today.
Gokudera was in the posh end of town, being the only one to bother wearing a suit. He had just started, and was enjoying the peace and quiet without the others following him.
He freezes when he hears a familiar noise. He would know that noise anywhere. But Juudaime was at the mansion still, helping with whatever the Ninth wanted him to do. Yet as he raised his eyes to the sky, he saw the unmistakeable figure of Juudaime flying over. If Tsuna was flying then that meant there was trouble.
He charges down the street, dodging the odd person and car that were only in his way. It's not long before he's out of the city, through the suburbs and into the countryside. It's not hard to see where Juudaime lands, the orange clear against the green of the trees. Jumping over a fence, he runs across the field and into a small patch of forest. When he sees there is a clearing ahead, the sound finally reaches him. It's the sound of water splashing and of crying and shouting. Fearing what state Juudaime is in, he puts on a last burst of speed to reach the edge. Stopping, he peaks around the edge of a tree and into the clear area beyond. He didn't want to alert the enemy to his position if Juudaime was fighting someone.
But he wasn't.
Tsuna's on his knees infront of a natural pool. All of the noises he heard earlier are coming from Tsuna too. Taking slow steps as to not make Tsuna jump, he approaches. As he gets closer, he can see what all the water splashing is about. Tsuna is furiously rubbing his arms, seemingly trying to get something off. His gloves lay discarded next to him. Tsuna keeps on rubbing and rubbing, making the skin raw and red. As Gokudera steps closer once more, he can finally see that Tsuna's arms aren't only red from rubbing them raw; Tsuna has rubbed them so hard that the skin had broken in scratches and was bleeding. Yet Tsuna seemed determined to rub the blood off. As a new scratch tears, he hears Tsuna scream.
"No more blood!"
He had never heard Tsuna sound so scared, so desperate, so… broken, before. He rushes forwards, falling to his knees behind Tsuna and hugs him from behind. Tsuna stiffens and lashes out.
"I'm sorry! I won't hurt you anymore! But I had to! You were going to hurt them!" he screams, tears running down his face.
Gokudera grabs Tsuna's wrists, trapping as much of his arms under his own as he could. It would stop Tsuna from not only harming Gokudera, but also from harming himself.
"Shush Juudaime, it's me" quietens Gokudera into Tsuna's ear. "It's me Gokudera. I'm not going to harm you. Calm down, everything's alright"
Tsuna seems to lose all of his energy and slumps into Gokudera's grip. "You're safe. He didn't get you" Tsuna sighs.
"Juudaime?" questions Gokudera, not understanding. Tsuna doesn't seem to want to answer that. So he asks a different question. "Are you alright? What's with all of the blood? I've never seen you like this before"
Tsuna stiffens, but Gokudera still doesn't let go. Tsuna starts shaking slightly too. "Is this what you were worried about? What you were doing with the Ninth?" Tsuna merely nods. Putting all of the clues together, Gokudera comes up with his own answer. "It's started, hasn't it? This was your first training mission." Tsuna nods his head again, looking down at his own hands.
"I had to hurt this guy to get information out of him. He had a sniper rifle trained on us during the party, but Vongola got there first and stopped him. I needed to question him as to why he was targeting us" Tsuna's voice was a low monotone rumble. "I had to hurt him since he wouldn't tell me why he was doing it"
"But what's wrong with that?" asks Gokudera. "You've hurt people before. You've fought with the Varia, you fought with Byakuran and a lot of other people in the future. Blood was spilled, bones were broken. How is this any different?" Gokudera couldn't quite see the difference. If there was an enemy planning to harm Vongola, then he'd blow them away.
"He was defenceless. He was bound to a chair and gagged. There was no way he could fight back. I just didn't feel right. He wasn't attacking me first. He wasn't harming any of you at the time." Answers Tsuna, voice shaking slightly. "Fighting Byakuran was different. He attacked first. He was attacking all of you. I know it might not sound different, but it is to me. I was never trying to kill Xanxus or Byakuran. I was never attacking them with the pure aim to hurt them. It was always to defend something, to stop them fighting back."
Gokudera thought about this for a moment. It was just a matter of different points of view. Gokudera was brought up in this world. He knew the consequences of not getting information, of not punishing people. He knew that it was better for some scum to just be killed rather than be left alive. Yet Juudaime was different. He was brought up as an innocent child. He was still rather innocent now. He didn't like to fight, nor to harm others, yet did so anyway just to protect those he cared about. That was why Primo accepted him, since Tsuna wasn't willing to carry on Vongola's sinning.
He is jolted out of his thoughts when Tsuna starts crying and shaking in his arms again. Loosening his grip in shock, Tsuna merely uses that chance to turn around and cry into Gokudera's shoulder. Not knowing what else to do, Gokudera just sits there, slowly rubbing Tsuna's back.
"I don't want to hurt others Gokudera. I don't want to go back. Don't make me go back there." He mumbles, taking in a shuddering breath.
Knowing what he has to do, Gokudera grabs Tsuna's shoulders and pushes him away to arm's length. Tsuna looks at him in shock, the tears stopping.
"Then let me do it for you Juudaime. There is no need for you to soil your pure hands in blood. I would gladly do this for you if this is something that you do not wish to do. I would be honoured to help you in any way I can. And if that means spilling blood so you don't have to, then you'll never see another drop again. It's my job as your right hand man to make sure that you are happy. If you don't feel right in doing this, if it places a burden on you, then I'll willingly do it for you. I would gladly bear the burden for you. Please Juudaime, I'll do anything if it means that I'll never see you cry again!" It was another one of his rushed speeches, the type that usually accompanied bowing on the floor. Tsuna still wondered where Gokudera found time to breath. But there was more emotion in this one. Gokudera truly meant every word with all of his heart. Tsuna could see it in his eyes.
It took Tsuna a few moments to realise that Gokudera fully meant it- he really would harm others in Tsuna's place. His eyes grow wide in shock before narrowing in anger. This time Tsuna grabs Gokudera's shoulders, trying to shake sense into the man.
"No! I don't want that. I don't want you to have to harm anyone just because I can't. In fact, I don't want you to have to harm anyone else ever again. I specifically didn't tell you guys that I was doing this because I didn't want you all to try and do it for me." He pants after shouting at Gokudera, keeping eye contract with the bomber the whole time.
But Tsuna receives the shock of his life when Gokudera's own eyes harden and narrow. And for the second time in his life, he finds Gokudera disobeying an order.
"Why else do you think all of us are here? Because we want to be in the mafia? Because we want to be killers and criminals? No, we are here because of you. We are here to support you. We all knew what we were getting into. We all had plenty of chances to drop the white flag and walk away from this. Yet we followed you because we wanted to be by your side. We wanted to help you when things got difficult. You cannot protect us forever!"
At this point, Gokudera growls that sentence out and pushes down on Tsuna's shoulders. In his rage and anger, he's pushed Tsuna onto his back and is looming over him, trying to get his point across. Tsuna has no other option than to lay back and stare into Gokudera's turbulent eyes
"We are all grown men who have our own right to choose how we live our lives. We can decide what we want to do by ourselves. And we decided that what we wanted to do was to help you change the mafia. Hell, we don't even care about that. We just want to be by your side, to see you smile, to see you happy. We are your Guardians but more importantly we are your friends. Friends share the burdens and do everything together."
Tsuna couldn't remember having Gokudera shout at him for that amount of time before. Nor did he ever remember seeing that amount of emotion and anger in Gokudera's eyes either. But Gokudera wasn't finished yet. He had merely stopped to take a breath. He had stopped to make the next part impact more.
"Do you hate us Juudaime?"
"No, of course I don't!"
"Do you see us as inferior?"
"What? No. I see you all as equals. I don't care about titles like Boss."
"So why don't you treat us as equals?"
Tsuna just tilts his head, confused by that question.
"By not letting us help you out when you have a problem, by not letting me help you when you are in this much pain, it seems like you are lowering your view of us, of me, in your eyes. It's the same as saying you don't think we are good enough to stand by your side. To me, it says that you don't trust us. You do not see us as equal."
"B-B-But, I really don't think like that. I really do see you as equals. I'm the one not worthy to stand by your side." Tsuna stutters, awed by Gokudera's passion.
"Then let us help you" says Gokudera, finally softening his voice. "Don't do this alone. I am right by your side. I always have been."
What Gokudera was not expecting to happen next was for Tsuna to laugh at him. This laugh sounds mostly happy and slightly exasperated.
"The storm that blows everything away, huh. Fine then. I'll let you help me. I still don't feel right about harming others, or about you all harming others."
Tsuna remembered what he had said earlier. The most important thing is that he is here with me.
Feeling a lot better now, Tsuna finally notices their position. Gokudera's hands are either side of his head, his knees either side of his hips, totally pinning him to the floor. Certainly a storm alright. Yet instead of feeling threatened or scared, Tsuna feels strangely comforted. He feels safe and protected. He doesn't want to move at all.
"Let's go back Juudaime. Maybe we can figure something out." It's then that he finally realises he had the audacity to pin Juudaime to the floor.
"I am so sorry Juudaime!" he shouts jumping off. He kneels down next to Tsuna and slams his head against the floor repeatedly. "How dare I do that to you? I can never forgive myself."
Tsuna giggles to himself, glad that everything is back to normal.
"Come on and help me get this blood off. I can't exactly go back like this can I?"
"Of course Juudaime. I've even got a first aid kit for those scratches." Gokudera looks up, eyes shining over being useful. He proudly produces the first aid box, where from Tsuna can't guess.
It's then that he takes a look at his arms and realises the damage he's done to them. As Gokudera prepares the anti-bacterial lotion, Tsuna had only one thing on his mind
Damn, this is going to hurt.
And there it is. Tsuna's first real mafia experience.
There is a sneaky something in here- well half of something to be exact. Can anyone spot it? It's other half will be making an appearance in another chapter.
Hope you'll all join me next time.
Phantom Hitman 1412
First Published 28/ march / 2012