THE NEW WORLD – CONTACT
A Finnish Town
The sun has long since set on the nation of Finland as the last car returns to the isolated town. This last car contains Sawada Tsunayoshi and his comrade Ellen. The duo arrives to not much fanfare, most people are congratulating Haru and Gokudera on their new child. Ellen knows however, that now is not the time to be sentimental, now is the time for action. Honda could very well send Yakuza to this town to search.
"Alright everyone, you know the drill by now" she yells, "You are all part of a camping society, you have been on a long standing and well organised trip".
Ellen recites the story to the group, something she has done everywhere she has been for the last three years. Each camp gets its own unique alibi should the Yakuza come asking questions. Since her pregnancy made it such that Haru couldn't do much physical work, the storm policewoman has been helping Ellen to come up with these stories. This greatly eases the pressure on Tsuna and Gokudera.
"Olavi has the details if anyone needs the recited once more, please memories as much as you can, you don't know any of our names other than the famous Sawada Tsunayoshi, who you all hate, you don't know what the rest of us look like".
Tsuna waits until Ellen finishes her speech before he motions to address all those who had have made it back from the camp.
"Everyone, we don't have much time so I will say a few quick words" Tsuna begins, "I have spent more time with you than most groups because of Haru's pregnancy".
"I want to thank you for doing so much for us, from now on you rest easy and wait for us to defeat the Yakuza, I promise it will happen one day".
"I want to thank you on behalf of Gokudera, on behalf of Haru and on behalf of little Juu for providing medical expertise that we don't have in our ranks so that Juu could be born safely".
"And lastly I want to thank you on behalf of all four… all five of us, we won't forget the sacrifices you have made in this battle against the Yakuza".
With that Ellen raises her hand to the rebels. A signal for them to disperse. They head their separate ways, discussing different topics relating to camping in keeping with their alibi.
Tsuna's group of five climb into the car which a family had generously provided them and Ellen drives away. Their destination this time is to the east of Europe and some way into Asia. Honda came too close last time and he may soon move to Europe so that he has a better chance of catching them, something the mafia cannot afford.
Inside The Car
"Congratulations to you both, Gokudera and Haru" Ellen says. This is the first time she has seen the new mother, it's only natural for her to give her congratulations to the woman she has been friends with for 3 years now.
"Thank you very much" Haru replies with a smile.
"I too haven't had the chance to speak to you yet, congratulations Haru" Tsuna adds.
"Thank you boss" Haru says.
During the previous three years Haru and Gokudera had become close again. Haru's personality underwent a slow but steady change as she became more and more similar to how she was as a teenager. Now she openly acknowledges that Tsuna is the boss of the mafia and is happy to acknowledge that the family never abandoned Kyoko and herself.
"Haru, make sure you let us know if you feel ill or you are struggling physically, we will find a doctor of some sort" Gokudera demands as he holds his child and it's mother tightly.
Haru laughs, "Don't worry so much Hayato, my training and fitness levels mean that I am in much better health than most women after giving birth, I will be fine".
"OK" Gokudera reluctantly accepts that Haru will be OK.
Haru sighs and a long period of silence ensues as Ellen drives the group eastwards.
"So Tsuna" the storm policewoman breaks the silence, "Did you get anything out of your training this time".
Tsuna springs to life as if he has been hit by lightning. "That's right I almost forgot to tell you".
"I made a breakthrough".
"Seriously" Gokudera yells as he leans forward.
Juu begins crying after his father suddenly yells.
"You have a child now Gokudera, don't just start yelling when he's sleeping" Ellen huffs. Now they will have an annoying crying noise in the car with them.
"I'm sorry" the storm guardian whispers with a slightly red face.
Lowering his voice Gokudera continues, "What happened then, what was your breakthrough like".
"The sky flame I usually had changed into a hollow circle and I could feel the presence of the sun flame" the 10th begins, "The hollowed out circle became filled with the sun flame and I could feel power radiating from it".
"I don't really understand how it happened or how it works but…" Tsuna hesitates.
"But…" Haru urges him on.
The boss smiles as he turns to his two fellow fighters, "The sun element has increased in strength through all of my flames".
"That's fantastic" Haru claims as she smiles widely.
"You're getting somewhere 10th, all those people who believed in you, they didn't have faith for nothing" Gokudera praises his boss.
"Yeah" Haru nods, "We can do it, we can beat them".
"Damn right we can" Ellen joins in as she continues the drive, further east and into Asia.
A Hideout in the Himalayas
The hideout is well camouflaged, high up in the mountains. The remote location makes living difficult but it is likely to never be discovered by the Yakuza. Strategically attacking your opponent while hiding yourself is the act of an assassin, as such it is the Varia who have set up this base.
Fires burn inside the well-established walls, warming the Varia and the resistance members who have left their homes to join them. The walls are well made, nothing as permanent as a house made in a developed country but certainly the structure has enough strength to survive the weather.
A ten-year-old boy runs up to Xanxus. The kid is short and has dark hair, the look on his face though is of innocence. The Varia leader was not an innocent child when he was young and since he had forgiven his father for his upbringing, he wanted to protect as many innocent children as possible.
"Mr Xanxus" the youngster whispers.
"What is it kid" Xanxus asks as he looks away from the reports in front of him and to the child.
"It's not much" the boy says as he places some scrap metal on the table, "I found all the metal I could, maybe you can make a few extra bullets out of them".
Since coming to the hideout the kids had very little to keep them entertained, Squalo had suggested they head outside and search for resources. The kids have been bringing resources to Xanxus for a couple of years now but the precious materials are only decreasing in quantity with each delivery.
Belphegor is sat beside Xanxus, 'So few' he thinks to himself while he contemplates how Xanxus will react.
"Thanks kid, I know it doesn't seem like much but this could save lives" the assassin does his best to praise the child, "Good job".
This brings a huge smile to the youngster's face, "Thank you Mr Xanxus" he replies enthusiastically before running off.
"You've changed" Squalo comments, "You used to be the sort of man who would never talk to kids like that".
"I haven't changed" the leader retorts, "You just can't win a guerrilla war without high morale, you have to play the game Squalo".
"Win the war" Belphegor mutters, "Even though I'm a genius, what are the chances of that?".
"Honda could never sense us, most of the Yakuza members could never see through the illusion barrier I have put around this place so we should be fine in the long run" Mammon concludes.
As his speech indicates, Mammon has placed four illusion barriers around the base. Unless someone can see through his illusions they could never see that the base is there. Very few people in the world are capable of seeing through Mammon's illusions.
Belphegor shakes his head, "But it will all be for nothing if Sawada isn't around to defeat Honda".
"Boss" Lussuria says under his breath, thinking about how Tsuna earnt the respect of the Varia before his battle against Bana. Nobody in Vongola history had accepted and been accepted by the Varia to the same degree as Tsuna.
He continues, "Lord Xanxus, do you think the boss is still alive".
"Of course he is" Squalo shouts as he slams his fist into the table. "What do you think we are still fighting for".
The blade user keeps on shouting, "After all that training we did with him, someone who was able to master the flame of rage and flame of serenity, who was able to make us call him boss… of course he wouldn't die".
"Squalo is right" Xanxus declares, "Even if it is foolish and we can't explain it, we have to believe that Sawada is still alive, that's all there is left to fight for".
The Varia leader rises from his chair and addresses the entire room, "All of you trash listen up".
"I don't want to hear about a single one of you slacking off because the boss is out there alive".
"And if there is one thing I can guarantee about Sawada Tsunayoshi, it's that he is working himself to death fighting for you, understand".
"YES SIR" is the response.
A few weeks later, A Pakistani Resistance Camp
It is night time in Pakistan and the sky is crystal clear. The stars and the moon provide natural lighting such that the erected tents require no lanterns. You could see the environment as clearly as if it were day. Even as the sun has descended beneath the horizon it's warmth lingers in the air as the sounds of nature provide a wonderful soundtrack for Tsuna to relax to.
"10th Haru and I have been thinking about something" Gokudera brings up as he approaches Tsuna with his family.
"You have something to talk about?" Tsuna asks with a smile on his face.
"It's about Juu" Haru explains.
"We would like you to be his godfather" Gokudera says as he bows his head.
"Me" Tsuna starts, "But I don't know anything about being a godfather".
"I wouldn't worry about that boss" Ellen comments, drawing herself away from her radio momentarily, "Gokudera doesn't seem to know anything about being a father".
"That's enough out of you" Gokudera shouts as he points his finger at Ellen.
Tsuna chuckles to himself, 'This is just like old times, I missed when everything was a simple as this'.
"Anyway, hopefully you won't be required to do anything with this title but knowing this war" Gokudera pauses, "Too many people have died already, you never know what will happen".
"I understand" Tsuna says as he places a hand on the outside shoulders of the storm duo, "I'm honoured, thank you both of you. I promise I will do my best for him, for all of you regardless of what happens".
"We should be the honoured ones" Haru comments, "How many people can say that humanities hope is their child's godfather".
Tsuna shakes his head, as every modest about this moniker of humanities hope.
"Anyway, is everything set for me to attempt the breakthrough Ellen" Tsuna asks as he looks to the former soldier.
Ellen looks at the few remaining resistance members who all return a nod to her. "Yes, go for it sir".
"Here I go then". Tsuna begins to walk over to the opening in the tents, raising his head to look at the clear night sky as he does so.
"Gokudera, I've never asked, why does the boss like to look at the sky when he does this" Ellen asks.
"I'm sure you have heard him talk about flame elements. The sun element, he mentioned that before right. Haru and I are both of the storm element. The leader of the guardians is always of the sky element because the sky encompasses all of us, sun, thunder, storm, rain, mist and cloud."
"So when Tsuna looks at the sky" he continues, "It's like we're all connected because we all stare into that same sky and represent part of that same sky each and every day".
"I see" replies Ellen. 'What a beautiful bond the mafia share'.
"I want to ask you a question now, something I've been wondering about for a very long time" the storm guardian says.
"What's that".
"We have been in the Vongola linguistics program which is why we speak nearly every language, why are you able to do the same".
Ellen flinches momentarily, "When I was a soldier I spent some time as a prisoner of war, the enemy thought they could turn me against my country so they went about giving me basic training. That included language".
"What enemy would have that capability" Haru asks as if she doesn't believe what Ellen is saying.
"The Yakuza…".
The trio are so silent that the wind can be heard sweeping the fields. Ellen herself had been captured by the Yakuza, no wonder she is so prepared to fight them.
"Everyone get ready" Ellen yells, ending the silence.
"Ma'am wait" the radio operator shouts.
"TSUNA STOP" Ellen yells.
The Vongola boss looks away from the sky and re-joins Gokudera and Haru under the cover of the tarpaulin. It is not unusual for Tsuna to be stopped in these situations, many times in the past they have remembered one more last minute thing they need to do or found a way to buy him a few extra seconds if he waits.
"What's the matter" Ellen asks, "Have you got something".
The operator shakes his head, "I haven't actually got anything but there is this weak interference pattern".
"No way…" Ellen mutters after she spends a few moments listening to the radio. "What frequency is this being sent on".
"It's the one that I have been told was specified in the plan" the man replies, "I'm certain of that ma'am".
Tsuna senses that the conversation is becoming serious and walks over. "Ellen, what's going on" he asks.
"I think other resistance members are trying to contact us" Ellen declares.
Tsuna takes a deep breath, "OK, everyone holds your places, the others know not to panic if we don't arrive back for a few days".
The few resistance members that remain all have families that went on ahead of them. It is possible that those families will panic and conclude that the mafia had been found by Honda but this communication is much more important than a few days of familial concern.
"We need to investigate this further" notes Gokudera.
"Yes" Ellen agrees, "Yes we do".