Chapter 50:

Has Gone Missing

I'm sorry for not posting a chapter on Thursday. However there has been a bereavement in my family recently- hence why I haven't posted a How a Thief Changed the Mafia chapter for 2 weeks either. I'm still kind of sad over it, so the quality of work (including the Halloween chapter) may not be as good as usual…

"The thing is, Tsunayoshi hasn't come home yet. He was supposed to meet up with Hayato just after lunch with you, but he never showed up. We assumed that he was waiting at the Varia House for you to return home." Luce explains, taking a quick look back at the sleeping silver-haired child.

"But Belphegor and Levi said that Tsunayoshi left their house as soon as they told him I'd be late." Viper explains, her brain not willing to make the connection it knows it should be making.

No one else wanted to face the probable reality either.

"H-ha-ha-ha, He's j-just staying somewhere else, r-right?... Guys?" Skull stutters, stepping forwards and gesturing with shaking hands. "Y-you all know how Tsunayoshi will just leave one thing for another…" Sure, Tsunayoshi did that, he missed appointments all the time. But only because one of the Arcobaleno had wanted to do something else instead. He could be in the middle of anything with one of the Mafia Row residents, but he'd drop it in a heartbeat if the Arcobaleno said even one word. Breaking a promise to meet one of Them was not something Tsunayoshi did. Ever.

"I can do a search and look." Offers Viper, money not even coming into the equation. Tsunayoshi was worth more than money. She reaches under her robe and plucks off a sheet of toilet paper. Closing her eyes she gets a clear image of Tsunayoshi in her head before sneezing into the paper. She opens her eyes and takes a look at what her thoughtography had provided her with.

The others wait for her results, but get worried when all she does is stare at it. The small part of her face they can see goes pale. Was where Tsunayoshi was really that bad that the Varia's own Mammon and the Arcobaleno's Viper was scared of it?

"Speak." Orders Bermuda. But Viper doesn't. Luce walks over to peer over Viper's shoulders. But she sees nothing but a random squarish splat on the paper.

And that was the problem. It looked like nothing. Viper's technique always came through in one way or another, whether that be a map or some other clue. Since they'd asked for a location specifically, they expected a map. It was no wonder Viper had become unresponsive.

"S-She doesn't know." Luce reports, just as shocked as Viper is. That shape doesn't remind her of anything either. It doesn't look like a normal splat, but it doesn't resemble anything recognisable either.

"We'll just do a house search then, kora." Says Colonnello determinedly, grabbing his riffle and holding it threateningly.

Lal slaps the back of Colonnello's head hard enough to make him take a few steps forwards. "You lackwit! It's too early in the morning to demand that. Some Bosses might be awake, but none are going to agree to a search." Colonnello doesn't answer back since he knew Lal was worried too. That had hardly been a real hit she'd just given him. A normal slap would have had him kissing the ground instead of stumbling.

The Arcobaleno had no choice but to split up for the night and prepare for bed. Not that anyone actually slept though. Colonnello went to his room and reached under the bed to pull out an old battered case. It was covered in dust, the case was ripped and worn in places but still holding strong. Wiping the dust off, he flicks open the locks and takes in a breath before opening it. Inside is a disassembled sniper riffle, a glossy storm blue in colour.

He runs his hand down the barrel, remembering the last time he had used this particular riffle. He had saved Lal's life with this particular gun and had finally earnt her respect. It meant a lot to him and he'd sworn to himself to only use it in emergencies. It seemed to him that there wasn't a better time to use it. Someone was about to experience a hailstorm and they would not live to tell the tale.

In her own room, Lal was doing something similar. There were pieces of guns all around her on the bed and she was cleaning them thoroughly. Not one speck of gunpowder would be left. She even double checked the sight to make sure that her aim would be spot on perfect. She even took some bullets out of her special stoke. All had been supplied to her by Vongola and each was deadly in her hands.

Finally, she picked up her last weapon that was rarely used. Picking up a steel, she sets to sharpening her hand knives. She was better with these than she was with a gun. It felt nice to have them back in her hands. Tsunayoshi may have only started out as something forced upon her before turning into a pet project, but Lal was not about to lose the best recruit she'd ever had the fortune to meet.

Luce stared at the pills in her hand and sighed before taking them and downing a glass of water. They were sleeping pills that would take affect almost immediately. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep tonight without them, not with her cute Tsunayoshi out there somewhere. But she had been a boss for a while, and during that time she had lots of things to worry about. But one thing she had learnt was the importance of sleep. She could not be a leader and tactician when her brain was working without sleep. She would miss things, her planning would be clouded and unintuitive and she'd be generally in the way. Worry was only going to harm her. She couldn't do anything until the morning anyway. But when she awoke, she was going to be at top form. And nothing was going to keep a mother away from her son.

Skull paced within the confines of his room, muttering away to himself in worry. What if he really had been kidnapped? What if Tsunayoshi was being tortured? What if Tsunayoshi was screaming for help and all Skull was doing was wasting time! There had to be something he could do! He may not have the physical training of Fon, nor the skill with weapons like Lal, Colonnello and Reborn, he might not have the information network of Viper's or the technology Verde had, or even the contacts and leadership skills that Luce had, but there had to be something he could do. He wasn't someone that needed to be protected and pushed towards the back. He had his worth! Tsunayoshi always saw that worth and brought it out of him. But he wasn't here right now. He wasn't infront of a crowd acting the part either…

That's it! That's what he could do better than any of the others. He had speed. He could drive faster than anyone- even Luce going towards a clothing sale. They'd used him as a get-away driver before now. He could drive at speed through traffic without hitting anything once. And he could drive anything from motorcycles to boats and helicopters. He could get them to where Tsunayoshi was faster than anyone else on earth. He'd crash through the windows of their base if that was what it took to get Tsunayoshi back. He'd be the biggest distraction he could be to make sure that the others rescued Tsunayoshi. He'd prove to everyone that his nickname as Immortal Skull wasn't just backless posing!

Fon blinked when his fist met with air and a crashing sound filled his ears. Looking around, he finds a fallen tree at his feet. He hadn't even been focused on what he was doing, he'd just been training aimlessly. At least his anger was dissipated now. It was finally back under control. It went against his training to show his anger infront of others so his face had remained clear and blank the whole time. Whilst no one had dared to speak the words, they all had a gut feeling that Tsunayoshi had been kidnapped. In the world they lived in, it wasn't a farfetched jump. That it had happened here on Mafia Row did make it unlikely, but he couldn't forget the true nature of the people living here.

But the thought angered him enough that before he knew it, his foot had impacted the nearest tree. It wasn't right, it wasn't just. Tsunayoshi had never done anything to anyone before to deserve such treatment. And it was all too possible that the Arcobaleno were to blame. Tsunayoshi had fallen victim to their fame. This was where glory hunting had gotten them! Pride was sinful for a reason. His training wasn't meant to be used for selfish wants, but Fon was sure that his Masters would forgive him just this once. He had to get Tsunayoshi back, no matter the cost.

Ice. There was no heat left in Reborn anymore. Those who had taken Tsunayoshi from him would find no mercy, no forgiveness, no retribution. Their begging and pleads for mercy would fall on deaf ears and a frozen heart. Even Leon was angry, for once acting like a true chameleon and disappearing in and out of sight. Reborn was more than surprised when the crystal glass of whiskey in his hand broke. It was then that he noticed his hands shaking. Not in fear but in anger. When was the last time this had happened? When was the last time that someone, a person, affected him like this?

He never got this emotional before. There had never been room in his life for someone else before. No one had ever made it into the pebble that was Reborn's heart. For monsters didn't have hearts. And that's what he'd been before Tsunayoshi had arrived and changed everything. How could one person, a child at that, change him so much? Tsunayoshi and his personality was almost like a poison to Reborn, slowly killing the person he used to be. Now more than ever, more than the Ninth had ever instilled in him before, he started questioning his need to kill. All because of a few tearful words from a brat. But with how things had been so far, Reborn wasn't about to get cured, no, he was going after another dose.

The floor in Viper's room was as white as it could get. Ever since they had split up, Viper had been trying her Thoughtography endlessly in hopes that it would reveal something that the last thousand times hadn't. She'd done everything she could to improve her chances. She'd started to burn incense. She had even brought out some real candles instead of the fake LED ones she normally used. There were five or six different magic circles, over turned bowls of water and a few different coloured seeing crystals on the floor too. She'd tried divination across all cultures to get an inkling, just some sort of clue, any clue, to where Tsunayoshi was at the moment.

If Tsunayoshi had been on Mafia Row, she would have gotten a map from her Thoughtography. Since she didn't, then he wasn't here at all. No one would take him off the Island without their permission. It was a shame that she was an ESPer rather than a clairvoyant. Maybe then she could talk to the many ghosts on the island to get some information… Hmm, that gave her an idea of who to talk to. She knew someone who could talk to ghosts, and they were right on this island too. And if that didn't work, then she'd use every piece of blackmail at her disposal to find Tsunayoshi. Information was even more powerful than a bullet or a punch, and she had the largest information network in the world.

Over at the Vendicare, the members of the Vindice were having a ball. Bermuda-sama had returned with an aura black enough for them to wonder whether he'd had an encounter with their eternal enemy. Listening to Bermuda's tantrum soon set that straight, but to them the reason didn't really matter. This was the strongest they had seen his Night Flame flare in a while. Bermuda was consumed with the need for Revenge, and that revenge fed his flame to new heights. They wanted to watch the poor fools who had created such a level of rage in their Boss get massacred. It was sure to be an interesting show. Bermuda-sama's childish nature led him to be rather mean and nasty at times.

Bermuda himself had gone back to his room to collect a few things. One was a shard of blackened mirror so he could see what was going on around him. It was the Vindice's way of watching the world so they knew when justice had to be dealt. Next was to sharpen the tips of his chains in addition to adding a few more spikes and blades to it. Finally, Bermuda grabbed a few of the Vindice's collars so he could render his captives paralysed. If it was true that Tsunayoshi had been kidnapped, then the kidnappers would never see the light of day again.

Verde sat in his lab and stared at the small device in his palm. This could have been one of his biggest 'told you so' moments of his life where the Arcobaleno were concerned. His apathetic and scientific nature could have saved them a lot of worry. This tiny device could have solved all of their troubles if they'd just listened to cold hard logic and reason instead of their sappy hearts. Luce was to blame for her ethics and her morals and her 'no experimenting' rule. He should have just gone and done it anyway and hidden the child for a few days afterwards. There were lots of things that he should have been writing down in his observational journal. Like the feeling of worry and anger that was welling up inside of him. But he didn't. Instead he just continued to stare at the small object in his hand.

The tracking device.

It wouldn't have even hurt Tsunayoshi to get it implanted. Humans did it every day to their pet dogs and cats. One small injection and it would be done. Tsunayoshi wouldn't even be able to feel it. But No. Luce had gone on about how unethical it was, and how he should have his privacy and other silly things that Verde didn't care about at all. So he'd have to do it without. But that didn't mean he'd go unarmed. Placing on a special Lab Coat, he filled it with every piece of equipment he thought might come in handy. Ear pieces for communication, lock picks and safe crackers, a tiny laptop with the best hacking and cracking software he could program, vials of chemicals to burn through any metal blocking their way. Some of the healing cream he had created to fix the wound in his shoulder many months back along with general medical equipment to prepare for the worst of what might have happened to Tsunayoshi. A taser, tear gas, poisons and anything else that might come in handy. They'd soon learn never to take a Subject away from a Scientist.

All they needed to do now was wait for the sun to rise and confirm that Tsunayoshi wasn't somewhere on the island. There was the tiniest possibility that Tsunayoshi had stayed somewhere else for the night, maybe gotten tired and fallen asleep by accident. But it was so tiny that they didn't want to create false hope. This was the real world they lived in, not some fairy tale.

The Strongest nine people in the Mafia were on a hunt, and nothing was going to stop them.

Phantom Hitman 1412

First published 04 November 2012.