Chapter 30: at Dusk everything changes.
For once in his life, Shinichi was glad that his Star Flames attracted him to places where deaths would occur. It made becoming a famous detective that much easier. Whilst he may be famous in Japan for his work, here in Italy, he was not. He was famous as the Man with KID's Monocle, but not as the Heisei Holmes, which is what he wanted and needed. So he had to start somewhere near the bottom once again. At least KID had done a good job introducing him to everyone on live TV. He didn't have as much trouble with the police as he did when he was starting out in Japan. Here in Italy, the police were more willing to listen to what he said. Just being listened to wouldn't be very helpful if he didn't have the skills to back it up, but of course he had those too. And having the skills to solve these cases meant that having his flame direct him into finding these murders did not count as cheating.
So, being seen on live TV, killer detective skills and one rare black flame all equals one quick rise to Detective fame.
Which is where Shinichi currently is now. On principle, he didn't use his black flame to solve the case unless he was having a rather difficult time, which so far, hadn't occurred. This case was as easy as the last. The time and place may change, there may be a new cast of characters, but the motive… well, everyone was human, everyone had emotions, so no matter where in the world he was, it was always the same.
Like this case. How many times had he seen the mistress kill the wife due to jealousy, or misplaced words of the husband and lover? Far too many times. Of course, this wouldn't happen if the man had stayed faithful. Shinichi really wondered where the need for more than one lover came from. Human greed he expected. Of course, his mind could come up with lots of very valid reasons, but still his heart couldn't agree. If you liked someone else, then you told the first person and move on, surely that was best for everyone involved. Of course, he'd seen far too many murders based on that scenario too. But what if each lover provided something different?... He sighs. Really, humans were such horrible creatures.
"And the killer is" he states, back tall, chin raised. He points a finger at the woman on his left "You!" That whole line was something from his days at the brat Shinichi. Yet he just couldn't seem to let it go. It reminded him of who he was, and is once again. And all famous people need a catchphrase didn't they. Well, the crowd certainly liked to see it.
He hated it though. This farce he was forced to play. Being a Detective shouldn't be about pleasing the crowd of onlookers who don't even care for the man lying in a body bag. It should be about finding the truth, and bringing the criminal to justice. Is what he wants to tell himself. And it is true, Shinichi does have a rather large sense of justice. But of course there was always the personal satisfaction of solving the puzzle. The harder the puzzle the more fun he had and the better he felt. It was this feeling that had drawn him to a KID heist. But this was something he needed to do. He needed to become as famous as possible, as quick as possible. So pleasing the crowd was a given.
The Mistress bursts into tears, whining her sob story. Shinichi doesn't even bother to listen. He could recite it by heart by now. Being in a different language didn't change the words that were said, the feelings felt, or bring the man back to life.
Then something interesting happened. The Mistress sniffs up her tears, turns on her heels and runs full pelt in the direction of the nearest alley way and freedom. There are gasps of shock and murmurs from the crowd, but no one goes to stop the killer from escaping. Shinichi is the first one to react, ducking under the yellow tape cordoning the area off. Not that the woman gets very far. Only a second after she enters the mouth of the alleyway, she tumbles back out, a flock of doves flying over her head. A click of fingers sounds and the woman now has her hands cuffed together, a chain connecting them to someone hidden in the alley.
Kaito comes out of the alleyway, dressed in a baby blue suit. He wore that out in public, so people would recognise him as the Magician from the theatre. When they were not following Tsuna, Kaito was doing stage shows and shows in public areas, presenting his tricks. Unlike Shinichi, he was starting right at the very bottom and slowly creating a name for himself.
"Oy, Heisei Holmes, I think you've lost something important. Like the criminal." He steps into clear view of everyone else, standing infront of the woman on the floor. "Don't worry because… Surprise! I found her." He smiles as he steps to the side and presents the handcuffed woman. The police present run over and pick the woman up before escorting her to their squad car.
Kaito comes over and claps Shinichi on the back. "Another Case Closed!" he looks over to the press who had arrived shortly after the Investigation had begun "And yes, you can use that in your headlines." He smiles brightly at them, before turning to the crowd. "But enough doom and gloom! Let's brighten things back up shall we?"
As the crowd cheer loudly as the prospect of a magic show, Kaito leans back and whispers into Shinichi's ear. "Cheer up, Shin-chan. You solved it, she's in jail, and no one else died. What's there to be sad about?"
Shinichi smiles at the way Kaito could always focus on the good things, and seem cheerful about everything. He couldn't help but be pulled along.
Kaito returns his attention back to the audience. Laughing, he runs over to a bench on the opposite side of the pathway, and a little further down from the crime scene so that the police could finish cleaning up. The crowd follow. He takes off his blue top hat and spins it between two fingers, showing that the hat was empty. He keeps on spinning it. "Hmm, what trick should I do first? One with my doves?" and a dove bursts out of the hat to sit on his head. "One involving flowers?" as the hat spins once more, they see a rose sitting in the centre. Yet when it's spun upside down nothing falls out. As the cavity comes around again, it's empty once more. "or maybe one involving cards" and upon seeing the next spin, a pack of cards is sitting in the cavity.
He walks over to one little girl and crouches down. "Princess, could you take the cards out of my hat for me?" The little girl quickly reaches in and pulls the pack out. "Now with your mum there, can you check that all of the cards are there?" The mum crouches down too and confirms that all 52 cards are there and are different from each other. A totally ordinary pack. "Good! Now Shin-chan" he sings. Turning to the detective, he holds out his hand and unfurls his fingers revealing a green beanbag. "Throw this to anyone in the audience." Shinichi takes it and throws it to a teenage boy standing not too far from him. "Now young man, throw it to someone over there" says Kaito, pointing to the other side of the crowd. The process continues for a bit until after 5 more throws, it stops on one of the police officers who was at the crime scene. "Princess, give the cards to that man alright" he sweetly asks. The little girl nods running over and passing the pack of cards over.
"Right now Sir, if you could please pick any card and sign your name on it." The police man does so. "Now put all of the cards in here" Kaito passes his hat over and after a few moments claims it back. He gives it a shake to shuffle the cards before chucking it in the air. The cards all fall out and all over the ground. "Sir do you see your card here?" he asks. The policeman looks at them and after turning a few of them over to check, shakes his head. "Does anyone see the card?" asks Kaito, and the audience reply with murmurs of no.
At that moment, the Policeman's phone goes off and he hurriedly answers it, only to find his card fall out of the case. The audience gasp and cheer, knowing full well that Kaito never went near the Policeman. Kaito winks at the man "A little bit of magic to say thanks for the hard work." The policeman can only nod before the phone rings once more, bringing the man back to reality.
"But Kaito, there are still some missing" claims Shinichi, a smile on his face too.
"Ah, damn, these things keep on running away from me." Laughs Kaito. Immediately people all rummage through clothes and purses to find their own phones. The people who had all thrown the bean bag earlier find a card, signed by Kaito, in their phone cases. "And that's for being such great participants." He sings, clapping his hands towards them. He stops clapping, one hand going behind his back whilst the other points to the sky "And with that…" and he brings his hand down, leading into a bow "I bid you Adieu!" Smoke plumes all around him. By the time it clears, moments later, Kaito, Shinichi and the cards on the floor are nowhere in sight.
And so went the daily lives of Kudo Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito, the V.F Corporation's newest employees.
"AAHH! Please stop! Please. STOP"
"I really hate those ones." Comments Kaito, leaning against the door of the abandoned apartment. Shinichi turns slightly to give him a questioning look. "The ones that scream and beg" Kaito supplies as another scream echoes down the hallway. "Those are the ones that break Tsuna the most"
Shinichi nods, he had noticed the trend too. Tsuna took a lot longer to recover from dealing with people like that. But both were worried for their Boss, since each time, he recovered less and less. Kaito and Shinichi weren't the only ones to notice. It has been one month. One month since the start of Tsuna's ordeal. One whole month of pain and suffering, both his own and the targets. Tsuna was sick of it already. He was coping though. Just barely.
But Tsuna's friends were becoming more and more worried by the day.
They aren't really sure when it started, but at some point, Tsuna had lost the shine in his eyes. He had become less responsive, laughed less and smiled less. So the Guardians and significant others had decided to do something about it.
When Tsuna came home that night, eyes dead and a fake smile aimed at them all, their resolve thickened. They leave Tsuna to settle in though. Hoping that the boy will snap out of it and be the bright bubbly boy they all know and love.
"Gokudera, won't you please tell us what's going on" begs Yamamoto. The bomber though, remains firm and doesn't say anything. If Juudaime didn't want them to know, then they wouldn't.
"We're not as blind as you think we are Ahodera" growls Lambo, storming up to Gokudera. "I know full well that he's doing" but he gets cut off by Gokudera's hand over his mouth.
"You should respect Juudaime's wishes Ahoshi" says Gokudera, voice sharp. "If he wants his privacy for this, then that's what you should do. The best thing you can do for him now is to not ask questions, nor bring the subject up around him" He directs this at the others in the room too.
Everyone looks worried for their Boss. All but one. There is one man who is very happy with the current situation.
Lambo starts to tear up. "I just want my Tsuna-nii back" he cries.
"You want him back?" Gokudera says, shocked. "Well, what have you tried to bring him back? Think about all he's done for you, and what have you done in return recently? Absolutely nothing"
"I'd be careful how you speak Gokudera. Or are you content to let Tsuna burn his skin off in the shower?" asks Reborn. Gokudera's eyes widen and he goes pale before releasing a loud growl from the back of his throat.
Whilst the others all look at each other in shock, Gokudera climbs the stairs shouting more to himself "Fucking hell Juudaime. I thought you'd stopped that!" before disappearing down a corridor, obviously going the quickest way to Tsuna's room.
"Stopped… that?" asks Fuuta, eyes wide. "He's done it before?" But no one had an answer for him.
"Ushishishi~"
Except for him.
Everyone turns around to find the source of the noise, and finds Belphegor sat in a window seat, polishing one of his knives. The red of the sunset glints of the knife, making it seem as if the edge is blood lined- perfect for the Prince. "It looks like the little Lord is falling to pieces. Bit. By. Bit. Ushishishi~, it's so fun to watch. The Lord looks so interesting covered in the ruby red blood of peasants."
"What do you mean?" asks Chrome, gripping her trident tighter, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Boss has never come home covered in blood" The others in the room nod their heads in agreement.
Belphegor's smile widens dramatically. "Ushishi~ The Boss was right. The Knights don't even know what their Lord is doing!" He stands up and goes to lean against the wall instead, facing the opposite wall. Due to Belphegor's hair style, no one could see the motion, but they all felt his eyes look at them. He laughs, very slowly. "Ushi. Shi. Shi. Do the Knights want to see? Do the Knights want to know the reason their Lord is breaking before their eyes?"
That got the reaction the Prince was looking for. He was so glad he volunteered for this mission. The Boss was right. The Lord had kept his beautiful activities a secret from his Knights. But now the Prince would reveal all, torturing them with the never before seen side of their Lord. He couldn't wait to see the knights' faces when he showed them. The only thing that could make this better would be if they were bleeding, their red blood mixing with their tears. But there was enough of the Prince's favourite thing in these pictures he was about to present to the Knights. The Prince only wished he could have watched the show live. All of the Varia did in fact. Yet the Boss was the only one to see the spectacle so far.
Slow hesitant nods come from the people infront of him. So the Prince complies with their wishes. With one lazy flick of a knife, a string of photos is strung across the corridor, held up by the wire connected to the knife stuck in the opposite wall.
"The Prince presents the Knights with the secret life of your 'innocent' Lord" smiling like a maniac he walks away to allow them to walk closer. Everyone takes a look, from the Ranking Prince to the Demon. All of Tsuna's family who were in Italy, apart from Shinichi, Kaito, Gokudera, and Reborn were there. That included Chrome, Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa.
Hibari looked over the images with interest, and realised that this was the herbivore's own version of Biting to Death. Comparing the images to the boy in his head would have been hard if he hadn't noticed certain herbivorous traits. All of the large wounds were cauterised to stop blood loss and infection. None of the cuts came near to major veins or arteries. All full stab wounds were in flesh filled areas, where they would do the least damage. Kusakabe saw this too and now understood why Tsuna was shaking when they had first found him at the docks. He didn't like what he was going, but still did it anyway.
One thing that interests Mukuro is that he could link the crime to the punishment. It helped what the crime was written under the photo, but it was also clear to see. The drug addicts were filled with pinpricks and cut noses. Those who stole money had any signs of wealth confiscated. Piercings were removed, rings were cut off, leaving scratches down the fingers. Of course that was just like Tsunayoshi. The cuts would impede healing skin and make it sore to curl the fingers, yet it was the better alternative to cutting the fingers off directly.
Fuuta stares shocked at the images, before muttering some unheard ranking about how controlled Tsuna's work was. He knew that there were bloodier, harsher Mafiosi out there. And compared to some of the work he had seen before going to live with Tsuna, what was infront of him looked tame and soft. But he just couldn't get over the fact that Tsuna, his big Tsuna-nii, had done this.
Ken and Chikusa look over the images with interest clear in their eyes. They had seen worse of course, quite often on their own bodies from the Estrano experiments. They themselves had done worse. They didn't know what Tsuna and the others assumed Ken and Chikusa did all day. Sit at Kokuyo Land and eat sweets? No, they had had to go out and make money for themselves. So under false aliases and covered by illusions, they had worked as hitmen themselves to bring some money home. They never worked for the Mafia. They wouldn't after what Estrano had done to them. But there were always local gangs or rich business men who wanted rivals gone. They had only done enough work to feed themselves and Chrome. That was before Tsuna had managed to convince Vongola to pay for their upkeep.
Ryohei looks at them and wonders where his little brother has gone. Where was the boy who hated to fight, who always fought with pain in his eyes since he was feeling guilty about harming someone else? He was too shocked at all of the red to take a good look at the injuries.
Yamamoto was the same. In fact, after one glance, he refused to look at any more of them. He had known that they were supposed to do training. It was something that Tsuna had held off for as long as possible. Tsuna had even almost fired at Reborn because he didn't want them to come to Italy and start doing it. Yet he hadn't told them he was going through it. Whilst they had been lounging around the house, or taking the safe missions like those they had taken in Japan, here Tsuna was, taking on missions that were totally oxymoronic to the man himself.
Lambo backs away from the images, hands holding his head as he shakes it. "No. No… NO that's can't be Tsuna-nii's work. He wouldn't do that!" the boy shouts.
Prince the Ripper looks at their (mostly) horrified faces and his smile gets wider and wider. If they could see his eyes, they would be shining in delight. He should have brought a camera and shown the others. Ahh~ how fun torturing could be.
The Prince was expecting that though. "Ushishishi~ Really? Why not look at the evidence right before your eyes. It's caught clearly in every photo." They all go back to looking at the photos but don't really see what Belphegor could be talking about. "As stupid as a load of peasants all of you. Here, let the Genius Prince enlighten you!" He twirls a knife in his fingers before bringing it up to his face. Without actually cutting himself, he scores an X across his cheek. "The Lord is Decimo after all"
Eyes turn back to look at the images and find it's true. Every image shows the X crossed into the cheek of the victim. Only Tsuna would be able to use that symbol. It was too perfectly shaped to be random slashes in anger. Roman numerals belonged to Vongola, and all Mafia Families knew that. Everyone else could fight over letters and symbols, numerals were theirs. So there was only one person it could be. Tsuna.
"It's true" says a stern voice behind them. He steps out of the shadows that Dusk has created. "Dame-Decimo did all of that." The Vongola all turn to face the Adult-Baby on the floor, whose eyes are hidden under the fedora he always wore. It sounded so much worse, and more final, coming from the baby's lips than it did from those of the Varia member behind them. There was no arguing against Reborn. Reborn was fact.
"But how could Boss…" starts Chrome, hugging the trident to herself tightly.
Reborn raises his eyes staring intently at each of them. "You all knew that once you arrived at Italy you would be training. Well, this is that training."
"Ushishishi~ Training? That's what the Old Man's calling it? This is the Crack Maze pure and simple." They all looked at the blond, since it wasn't as simple as he made it sound. Shaking his head yet still smiling, The Prince kindly explains further. "This is the time where the outer layers crack and chip off, revealing who one truly is underneath. One can try to hide behind bravado and tough sounding words, but all is revealed. One's true pitiful or crazy side comes out. Some crack under the pressure and burst into tears, others lose their emotions and accept their future, others crack in a different way and lose their minds. A lot of Mafiosi rely on Crack and other drugs to get them through this period. It's an emotional maze where one can easily lose sight of oneself and one's goals."
"What he isn't telling you all is that most Mafiosi don't have that dramatic a reaction. Most might be a little apprehensive at first, but get over the feeling quickly, otherwise nothing would get done. Dame-Tsuna is feeling the full effects because he's not cut out for this world, and wouldn't normally get involved." Adds in Reborn, wanting them to have an honest view, not a frightening one. "Plus, it's not the job of all Mafiosi to deal in Squeezing and Hammering."
The others all think on this and can now understand Tsuna's recent behaviour a little better. If he was the one creating these images, then it's no wonder he was becoming despondent. Closing his emotions off was his way to deal with it.
"Have any of you read the crimes that these punishments were for?" asks Reborn, eyes gleaming sharply at them.
"Selling of dangerous drugs"
"Abuse of minors"
"Stealing money from a Vongola owned Orphanage"
"Selling of illegal weapons to local gangs"
They all say, reading the print under the pictures. Reborn nods at them, hoping that they can see his meaning. "And the information gathering?" he prompts
"Aiming a sniper rifle at… us during the New Year's party!"
"Why an enemy familigia was selling knives in Vongola territory"
"Who the drug dealer was"
"Why they were stealing money from Vongola"
"That's right. Dame-Decimo has been doing right all along. He's done nothing but protect the weak and his Family. Can you shun him for what he's done now?"
Reborn smiles at the answer; the soon to be 10th generation of Vongola go running in the direction of their Boss's room. "Tomorrow!" he shouts. "Give Gokudera time to calm Dame-Tsuna back down and give him the night to settle himself and get over it. You can talk to Dame-Decimo in the morning." A couple of bullets behind him- in their direction- stops them from complaining and ensures that they will follow his orders.
"Ka-ching~ The Hitman ruins all of the Prince's fun. The Prince wanted to watch them suffer some more" Belphegor whines.
"Why are you even here Belphegor?" asks Reborn aiming Leon at the knife wielder. Belphegor raises his hands in the air, smile never leaving his face for a moment.
"Boss wanted to know if the Knights knew yet or not. The Old Man will be sending them out soon right. The Prince was also supposed to check up on the Lord to see if the Lord was broken yet. Boss thinks the Lord is close."
"Go back to Xanxus and tell him not to send anyone again. The next Varia member I find will be going back to base unable to talk. Understood?" Reborn fires off a few shots at the Prince. The Prince takes the cue and jumps out of the window he was sitting next to earlier.
"Ka-ching!" Belphegor growls, his response to being shot at.
Reborn closes the window behind him and goes to take the pictures down. Of course he had watched every single one of these take place. He had watched Tsuna's face the whole time and knew almost exactly what the boy was thinking as he inflicted every single scratch. There was one thing he wasn't sure on though. And that was how Tsuna would take the next step. He was fairly sure he knew the answer, but there was always the possibility that Tsuna would choose the other option.
Running through the corridors, Gokudera had only one thing on his mind. "Fuck"
That single word kept going round and round in his head as he runs towards Juudaime's room. Grabbing the handle of the door, he growls to find it locked. "Fuck!" he shouts once more, fist slamming against the wall. But then he remembers something and goes charging into his room. Along the back wall was a hidden door, leading into a corridor along the wall. It connected every Guardian's room to each other's. Using that logic, he had assumed that as Guardians too, Shinichi and Kaito's rooms would also be accessible, but he'd had no luck finding their rooms so far. (Of course, he wasn't expecting the entrance to be in the ceiling, nor flame powered)
And it was never locked. Running into Juudaime's room through that, he whispers a quick Sorry for intruding in his head, before running across the room and into the bathroom.
Just like he'd feared, Tsuna was under the shower, scratching at his arms again. The steam in the room attested to the heat of the water. Gokudera's own burning skin as he immediately jumped into the shower too, told the bomber just how hot the water was. The first thing he does is turn the water down to a lower temperature before grabbing Tsuna's hands from behind once again, stopping Juudaime from harming himself.
"For Christ's sake Juudaime! You need to stop doing this. I thought you said you wouldn't do that anymore."
The towel around Tsuna's waist was red, as was the water in the bottom of the shower, all stained by his beloved Boss's blood. Gokudera couldn't bear to see it. So instead of looking at that, he just tightens his grip and lays his forehead on Tsuna's shoulder, letting the water cascade over them both.
"It's different Gokudera" whispers Tsuna sounding as if he's not concentrating on what he's saying. "It's true that I don't want their blood on my skin, but I came to terms with that. We both did. They won't let me become Boss without stained hands so like we promised, I'll hurry up and become the Boss. I'm following Primo's wish too, and not harming anyone without a good reason. It's different."
When Gokudera feels Tsuna try to move his arms, the bomber lets him, feeling that Tsuna wouldn't try to harm himself like that again. Instead Tsuna raises his hands to his head and takes in two fistfuls of hair, tugging on them hard. "It's the damn voices in my head!" he shouts before slamming his head against the shower wall. Gokudera is quick to grab Juudaime and place his arms across Tsuna's chest to restrain the man.
"What the fuck was that for?" Gokudera shouts, forgetting to be polite out of shock and worry.
"Their screams" says Tsuna voice shaking as if he's in pain, which he most likely is. "The screams of everyone are stuck in my head... The pain is the only way… for me to shut them up." Tsuna moves his hands the little he can, bringing them up to his chest to claw at it. Instead, however, he ends up scratching Gokudera, who hisses in pain but takes it anyway. He'd rather take the pain than let Juudaime continue to hurt himself.
Xanxus was totally right. Even with the head phones on Tsuna could still hear the screams of his victims. And they haunted him every moment he had. That was the true reason for his recent despondency. He couldn't sleep because of it, he couldn't relax without the screams starting in his head. The sting of pain from the scratches brought him back to reality, if even for a moment.
Gokudera took a good look at Juudaime, and noticed what he had for a while now. There were bags under Juudaime's eyes, his skin was a pale cream and he was eating less and less each day. He'd seen it happen and assumed that it was just Juudaime not feeling well about this whole thing. How could he call himself a right hand when he couldn't even look after his Boss correctly?
He pushes Tsuna away slightly, standing back at the same time and got a good look at Tsuna from this angle. Apart from the cuts on his arms there were also ones on his shoulders. No doubt that had started as a self-defence reassuring hug and turned into another clawing session. His legs and lower back seemed untouched though. Grabbing Juudaime's shoulders he spun the man around, made easier by the slippery surface of the wet shower floor. He didn't like what he saw though. For a start, he was sure that Tsuna was crying. Next there were more marks on Tsuna's cheeks, along with a bump on his forehead from the most recent slam against the wall. Then there were the continuations of the scratches from his shoulders, going diagonally across his chest to stop at his waist. There was another set, following the line of his collar bone from one shoulder to another. There were some more horizontal one's going across his belly and hips. Thankfully there were none of the front of his legs either.
Well that was about to change; he was going to do an even better job than he was doing previously.
In a whirl of movement, Gokudera had taken his outer top off and produced the medial kit from before. He stares Tsuna right in the eyes. Tsuna can see the worry and desperation as well as the love and caring in them. He felt bad about how much he had made Gokudera worry. But as grey eyes harden Tsuna can see resolve in there as well and wonders what Gokudera is about to do. "Please forgive me Juudaime. In fact, I can't even ask forgiveness for what I am about to do. No right hand man should act like this." Tsuna is even more worried now, totally forgetting about the screams in his head as he fully concentrates on the man before him.
"Gokudera" whispers Tsuna, looking right back. Gokudera can see the spark of life in there, the glint of the old Tsuna trying to come back. "Help me"
Gokudera nods. In a flurry of hands and fabric, Gokudera has tied Juudaime's hands up. The sleeves of his top had become the bonds with the rest of the shirt going over his hands. He wasn't in pain, the circulation was fine. But there was no way he would be able to claw at him or Gokudera now. Gokudera was apologising for this? Really, what was he going to do with him?
Gokudera couldn't spare time to be scandalised over what he had just done to Juudaime. He was too busy moving onto the next step. He was going to make sure that Juudaime didn't feel the pain any longer. Ripping the first aid kit open he takes out the antiseptic solution and gauze to put it on with. He knew from past experience that using cotton wool wasn't the best idea in the world. One ended up with a lot of white fibres in the wound. He turns the water off and reaches outside the curtain for a dry towel.
He doesn't really care that a towel is thrust into his hands, nor spares a moment to find out who it was. Hurricane Hayato was on a mission and Juudaime came before everything and everyone else. He started with Juudaime's back, checking that the cuts were clean before pouring on the antiseptic and covering the larger wounds. He repeated the process with the rest of Juudaime's body working methodically and meticulously. Tsuna tried not to blush at how close Gokudera was, but at the moment, it seemed to him that Gokudera wasn't seeing him. It seemed that Gokudera's concentration was so deep that he didn't even notice their closeness, nor did a blush grace his features. Tsuna could have been a robot or a new type of dynamite for all the emotion of Gokudera's face.
A large roll of bandages is passed through the barrier of the curtain. Gokudera accepts that mechanically and starts to wind the fabric all over Juudaime's torso, starting at his hips and working upwards.
"It's to stop your clothes rubbing against the cuts" explains the phantom voice.
It's then that Juudaime and Gokudera realise just who is in the room with them. It's Kaito. Tsuna relaxes a little, glad it wasn't one of the others. Kaito had seen Tsuna at his worst already, this was nothing new.
"What are you doing here?" Gokudera absently asks, still focusing on his job.
"Well, it's in my job description to help with these things right. I know about the tougher side of life. In a way, I've been through what Tsuna has been through too. Plus, I know how to handle wounds like this" he explains, remaining respectfully outside the barrier of the curtain.
"Che, you and KID have an internal war?" scoffs Gokudera, taking a moment to look towards the shadow on the curtain.
"For starters, you are talking to KID. Secondly, yes we did, but I'm not talking about that, it's not related at all. I'm talking about scratches of this quality and quantity. Let's just say I had some spectacular Stunt-Movie-Worthy crashes when I was first learning how to use the glider." KID's own sighed laugh invites them to giggle at it too.
Tsuna laughs at the image in his head. He finds that he can't imagine that scene without KID actually acting the failure on purpose. It just wasn't, well like KID. "Everything is spectacular with you KID. Also, I would never have guessed that: it seems like everything you do is perfect"
"Breath out Juudaime" prompts Gokudera quietly, finally reaching Juudaime's chest. He wouldn't want them to be too tight nor too loose.
KID preens under the praise "Well of course. I wouldn't be famous if I kept making mistakes."
There is silence afterwards as Gokudera keeps on working. As Gokudera presses slightly too hard on a sensitive patch, Tsuna hisses "KID, keep talking" he orders. He needed a distraction, both from the pain and the memories haunting him.
"Alright. Looking like I do everything perfectly is the way I present myself on purpose you know. I'm not though. It all comes down to a hell of a lot of planning and back up plans, and back up plans for those back up plans. A Phantom Thief never leaves anything to chance." He thinks for a second "You know Tsuna, that's a good thing for a Boss too. A Boss must present themselves as if everything that happens was part of their plan. It both fools the enemy and calms your allies when things go wrong. Tantei-kun is a great example of that. With him around, my plans went awry more often than usual, so I had to keep presenting myself as if nothing had gone wrong. It worked on him at first, but as he got to know me better, he could start to tell. Maybe I should give you a few lessons on it. Oh, and teach you a poker face. I don't want you disgracing me in public you know."
Everyone recognises the jest, knowing that KID isn't serious. He'd take whatever blunder Tsuna made and turn it into part of the show- deceiving everyone around like he's supposed to. And Tsuna knew that applied to more than heists. Kaito was making the offer for real life too. It's what he and Shinichi were there for; to make sure Tsuna presented himself well in the Night of the Underworld. Deceiving the Darkness and Lighting the way, whatever may come their way. Tsuna was really glad to have found them.
"Yeah, maybe I should book in for those lessons" weakly laughs Tsuna.
"Oy, pervert, get out here now. Boss has enough to deal with without you in there too." Comes a voice from outside the bathroom.
"Oh~ Tantei-kun, jealous are we? Wanna join in, we're having a great time." Gokudera presses on another sore patch, causing Tsuna to hiss once more. Really, KID couldn't have planned that better. He could hear Shinichi spluttering from in there, having the totally wrong idea on what was going on. Tsuna could just catch the huge grin KID has on his face through a gap in the shower curtain. He can hear KID's quiet chuckle to himself along with a whispered "It's so fun to mess with him, he goes red far too easily" Tsuna knew he was meant to catch that and gives a breathless chuckle too.
"Gokudera's in here too" shouts Tsuna, trying to make things better before he realises that that comment has only made things worse. "Heeii. Ah, um… it's not what you… what I meant was… we are, um aren't" splutters Tsuna. Gokudera has to take a firm hold of Tsuna's arms to continue working when the brunet started flailing too.
"Don't worry" sighs KID, "Tsuna has a towel around his waist and Gokudera is fully clothed. Sopping wet mind you, but fully clothed" KID's voice got quieter as he leaves the bathroom. "what is it Tantei-kun?" he asks when he finally sees Shinichi standing in the middle of the room. Shinichi backs away from the bathroom door, not wanting Tsuna to hear.
"They all found out." Shinichi states slightly worried since he kept glancing towards the bathroom door. "Some weird guy calling himself a Prince showed them all pictures of Tsuna's work. From the files I've seen, I think it was Belphegor of the Varia. Reborn talked to them about it, in that roundabout way of his, and ordered them not to talk to Tsuna about it until tomorrow. But they are going to ask questions. I didn't want to tell Tsuna if he's like this though. What's wrong with him?"
"You didn't hear?" asks KID. Shinichi shakes his head.
"I was handing in a report to Nono at the time. I was walking back to find you when I overheard a new voice. Using the one-way panels I saw what they were looking at and when they finished, I came to find you… and found you here." Shinichi raises an eyebrow wondering at the reason for KID's sudden visit to Tsuna's room. His skill at finding KID had grown to outside heists and now Shinichi could find KID anywhere in the mansion. It was getting harder and harder for the thief to play pranks and surprise his favourite detective. But KID enjoyed the challenge.
"I was walking towards the entryway when I heard Yamamoto shout." Whenever KID or Shinichi 'walked' anywhere, then never meant in plain sight. The 1st generation Star and Moon Guardians had built secret tunnels everywhere. They could walk around the whole mansion and never be spotted. It was passages like these that allowed them to just 'appear' in the dining room. "I had never heard him sound so worried so I stopped to listen. They were asking Gokudera what was wrong with Tsuna. Gokudera started to tell them all off and ask them what they had done to return Tsuna's support for them. Reborn came in and told Gokudera to watch what he said since Tsuna was currently in the shower burning his skin. Gokudera swore and ran off and I went with him. Everyone else was too shocked to move."
"Hmm, must just have missed you by less than a minute then." Muses Shinichi, piecing things together. "So it's just self-harm like last time right?"
KID frowns and shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. I knew that those who screamed were breaking Tsuna, I just didn't realise how far broken he was."
Shinichi's eyes widen "You don't mean he's…" KID nods. Shinichi had seen these symptoms in some murderers and serial killers. They started to hear the screams of their victims in their heads. If Tsuna was using pain to shut them up then things were worse than Shinichi thought they were. He was truly worried for his Boss. Tsuna really was too pure and innocent for this type of world. It was times like these that he hated Reborn, Primo and Nono for forcing Tsuna into this type of life. He truly wondered if the future Tsuna was supposed to be aiming for was worth it if it broke Tsuna in the process.
"I'm going to have to see if I can rearrange the missions for someone other than Tsuna to take ones like them. It'll be easier once we start taking them. I expect Hibari could take them better than Tsuna could. It'll take some hacking though, and Vongola's security is the tightest I've come across."
"Hmm, I might see what Spanner and Shoichi can do, they should be more familiar with it." Mumbles Shinichi, hand to chin in thought.
"Ne, Tantei-kun, what are you here for? You were looking for me before this happened right?" asks KID, suddenly remembering.
Shinichi's head shoots up and he stares at KID "Right. It's time for the Night to roll in."
As they exit the bathroom, Tsuna yawns loudly.
"You should get some sleep Juudaime. You look like you need it" suggests Gokudera.
Tsuna should have seen that one coming. Yeah, he did need sleep, but not if it was going to turn into a nightmare. "heh, Thanks Gokudera. I'll try though."
"if you can't get to sleep come and get me alright" offers Gokudera, looking pleadingly up at his Juudaime.
To please the man that had done so much for him recently Tsuna agrees. "Alright, I will."
Pleased with the answer, Gokudera notices Juudaime's eyes start to close. "Goodnight Juudaime." And he starts to leave the room.
"Goodnight Gokudera" replies Tsuna.
As his eyes once more try to shut, he decides that he's just going to have to risk sleeping. Thinking back on today, he realises that Gokudera had 'stormed' him once again. It was just like his bomber to come in, take control, do what he wanted to do without permission, spin his life around and then leave with a pleasant goodbye afterwards. Yet every time he had managed to blow his troubles away and Gokudera also took the brunt of his mood swings. He didn't deserve Gokudera, he really didn't.
He goes to put his PJ's on when he realises he can't. Sighing and smiling at the same time, he walks over to the wall in between him and Gokudera and knocks on it. That brings Gokudera running into his room eyes frantically checking for any sign of an enemy or a disturbance. When Gokudera's eyes finally settle on Tsuna once more, the brunet raises his hands "Hehe, a little help"
Gokudera's eyes widen comically and Tsuna swears they are going to fall out. In a flurry Gokudera's rushed over to his side and starts to untie his shirt from Juudaime's wrists. "Oh my God Juudaime! I am so sorry. How worthless can I get? First I have the audacity to do that in the first place and then I forget about it. Juudaime I will accept any punishment you give me. I'll even punish myself for this unforgivable deed" Tsuna laughed whilst trying to stop his right hand man. Here was the old Gokudera, the one he's know ever since he was fourteen. It was nice to know that not everything was going to change. It was so different to the Gokudera he had been seeing recently though.
Tsuna didn't even need to say anything as Gokudera decided his punishment should be to get out of Juudaime's presence immediately. Gokudera is still verbally beating himself up as he bows himself out of the room. Another yawn forces Tsuna to get changed and fall into bed where he hopes he can get some sorely needed sleep.
Yet Life didn't love poor Tsuna. It never had done.
Not even 10 minutes pass before it starts. His mind replays every scream of pain, every plea for mercy, every grunt of agony. Tsuna tosses and turns trying to get the voices to be quiet once more. "it's your fault for doing wrong in the first place" he finally shouts at them.
"And that gives you the right to harm us back does it?" asks one victim, the bloody X prominent on his face. This was the first time Tsuna had shouted at them, for all he wanted was his peace back. As a result this was the first time one had answered back with something other than a scream.
"You won't stop otherwise" replies Tsuna.
"Will it ever stop?" asks a different voice "With the way things are, will it ever stop?"
"I'm… I'm… I'm going to stop it… when I become Boss!" he shouts back in defence. He was, he really was. Honest. Did they think he liked doing this?
"Oh really?" asks the same voice, his tone indicating disbelief. "And how will you do that when you already have our screams in your head and our blood on your hands?" The screams get louder and louder surrounding him in on all sides. All he wants is for them to stop. His conscience is already bad enough as it is, does he really need this on top?
"Stop it! Shut up shut up SHUT UP!"
Yamamoto, being next door hears the screams as, he suspects, does everyone else in their row. It was a scary thing to wake up to the sound of one of your best friends screaming. He's up in a flash, running into the back corridor. Yet he stopped when he saw Gokudera rush in before him. He could have gone in, he really wanted to, but he remembered Reborn's words from earlier on. So, after sharing worried glances with those who had also rushed out of bed, he turned and went back into his room.
One cold hand brushed hair away from Juudaime's eyes as Gokudera looks down in pain and sorrow at his Juudaime. When he hears Juudaime pleading once more for the voices to cease, he attempts to wake the boy up. "It's alright Juudaime, I'm here. It's going to be alright." He croons, brushing a hand over the boys cheek. Eyelids flicker and Tsuna opens his eyes, shiny with unshed tears.
"Gokudera, I don't want to go to sleep. I'm so scared" he whispers, holding tightly to Gokudera's arm.
What can I do? Wonders Gokudera. Think Idiot think. Ways to get to sleep peacefully. Um, when it's raining? No, we're in the centre of the house, there are no windows in here. Um, lullabies. Fuck that I can't sing.
He looks around in desperation for anything… something… that thing…
Since when was that in Juudaime's room?
Tsuna follows Gokudera's eyes and smiles when he sees what Gokudera must be looking at. "Yeah, that arrived shortly after I started doing these missions. God knows how it even got into the room. I haven't touched it at all since I don't know how to play. I think Reborn might have put it in here though. Gokudera?... Gokudera?"
Gokudera stands up and looks down at Juudaime, eyes sad yet serious. "I'm going to give you the best night sleep you've ever had"
Rather a bold statement considering what's going on, but Tsuna was grateful for any attempt Gokudera could give.
Gokudera sits down in front of it, noticing his hands are shaking whenever he goes to touch it.
Can I, after all these years? After I promised myself not to. It meant reliving memories of her. His teacher… His Mother… her death. If it's for Juudaime, then I'll do anything. Doing this for him will honour her memory.
Shaking hands lift the lid and fingers ghost over the black and white, finding their natural home once again. Touching, testing but never pushing. It's the sound of Juudaime rolling over to get a better look that forces Gokudera into action. First just one note. The middle one. It rings clear and true. Just one cord, low on the keys. Three harmonious sounds. A five fingered scale, high up the other end. Tinkling in succession.
It's all in tune.
Gokudera closes his eyes, lifts his chin up and straightens his back up. Nails click on the white, tapping out the rhythm, the only sound in the room. Breathing in deeply through his nose, Gokudera raises his face towards the ceiling before finally pressing down the first cord.
Note by note, Gokudera plays the piano for the first time in nearly 16 years. It was like he'd never stopped. Well, in reality he never had done. The others, after learning about Gokudera's past in the future, didn't comment about Gokudera's habit of tapping rhythms out on surfaces, whether it was his school desk, work desk or dash board of the car. Gokudera had never left behind the music that was so dear to him. He'd never dropped the bond with his mother.
Tsuna was content to watch Gokudera for a few minutes. At first he was stiff, but Gokudera slowly relaxed, his foot tapping time on the floor, his upper body swaying as he reached notes at both ends of the scale. Like Tsuna suspected the pieces were all classical, but Gokudera chose the soothing and relaxing ones. Soon Tsuna couldn't keep his eyes open. As Gokudera finished a song, Tsuna was about to interrupt, but Gokudera just moved straight onto the next one.
He can't be thinking *yawn* of playing… all… all night*yawn*?
The notes lazed their way through the walls, lulling everyone to sleep. Even Hibari, who decided that this disturbance to the peace was allowed. Even the ever active Ryohei who quickly decided that this was an extreme way to fall asleep. Even little Lambo who decided that maybe Gokudera wasn't such an ass after all.
But most importantly, it lead Gokudera's most precious person down into the first real sleep he'd had all month.
The Sun had set and the Moon had yet to rise. The Clouds made no appearance, with no Rain or Thunder in its wake. No Mist blanketed the ground, no Stars lit up the night. All that was left was the peaceful winds of a Storm's end stopping the Sky from falling down.
All I wanted from this chapter was for Gokudera to play the Piano for Tsuna, since I think it's a beautiful scene. I ended up writing a lot more plot into this than I expected.
I don't know about you, but it's technically Wednesday where I am (admittedly 1am in the morning) so I'm going to upload it now instead of late in the evening like I usually do. I hope you all like it.
Phantom Hitman 1412
First Published 25 April 2012