THE NEW WORLD – UNBELIEVABLE EYESIGHT
The Resistance Hideout in the USA
The rain hammers down in this part of America. Long continuous streams pour down from the lowest parts of the tents raised roofs. The water crashes on the ground as if to destroy it with sheer power, the sound reminiscent of a flowing stream or river.
Through the noise most resistance members are wearing coats but Sawada Tsunayoshi and Ellen don't join them in doing so. The duo is stood closely together with Gokudera's mobile phone between them on speaker phone, they are in the middle of a call.
On the other end of the call are the 9th's son Xanxus and the second-in-command of the Vongola, Gokudera Hayato. It is a different time of day in the Himalayas and the weather is much more pleasant. As the base has continued to increase its permanence, the two men have each obtained comfortable working space in which they can take this call.
"So you're telling me you've lost Squalo already, you're a trashy boss" Xanxus harrumphs through the phone. "Perhaps I will lose you too".
"BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU POINT THAT GUN" Gokudera shouts to Xanxus.
"I'M POINTING IT HERE ON PURPOSE".
Tsuna and Ellen sweatdrop at arguing pair. Both are very headstrong, stubborn and difficult to get along with, it's no wonder they are arguing.
Tsuna speaks into the phone hoping that his subordinates can hear him over their own petty squabbles. "Calm down you two, Squalo has only been gone for two days".
Right as Tsuna says that, the man of the hour returns. Squalo enters the tent, his long white hair sticking tightly to his body as it is soaked in the rain and the water falling from the roof of the tent.
Despite the appearance of the rain officer of the Varia, Tsuna's eyes are not drawn to his hair but his shoulder, for on that shoulder rests something terrible, a body.
"Boss, I'm back" Squalo shouts as if he doesn't have a body non his shoulder.
"So you haven't been lost after all Squalo". Xanxus voice comes out of the phone, his ignorance to the morbid scene apparent in his tone.
"I saw the enforcement officers and followed them back to their base" Squalo informs the dumbstruck Tsuna, "I decided to have a peak around".
Slam, Squalo places the body down on a nearby table, scattering the maps and paperwork from atop of it. The body is of a fair haired young man in enforcement officer clothing, he is clearly dead.
"You can't have been very subtle carrying him around" Ellen remarks.
"I didn't kill him" Squalo reports with mock hurt, "He was already dead, when I found him".
"You expect me to believe that". Tsuna has a frown on his face as he pulls up the sleeve of the enforcement officer to reveal he is not merely an enforcement officer; he is in fact a Yakuza officer. The tattoos on his arm give it away, no ordinary man could make this kill.
"So you spotted that" Squalo smiles, "I'm being honest with you 10th, I didn't kill him. That's probably why he was hidden in the base, there's no way the Yakuza would want it getting out that someone could kill their officers".
Tsuna nods prompting Squalo to continue his explanation. "I also went to the other end of their route and found some tinned cans of food, whoever killed him killed him from an abandoned house, he was part of a several man team".
"A local resistance" Ellen asks as she looks at the body.
Tsuna casts his eyes over the nearest group who are clearly listening in on their conversation. "Heard anything?".
"I've never heard of any other resistance groups around here sir" a woman answers.
"Then who could it have been…".
Xanxus decides to re-enter the conversation. "You should check the body, Squalo is an expert in determining how people were killed".
This makes a lot sense to Tsuna, perhaps the nature of the killing would reveal the identity of the killer. In addition to that Squalo is surely one of the 10 best assassins on the planet, he is not only an expert but a master of this sort of work.
Squalo strips away the man's clothing, so as to get an overall picture of the Yakuza's body. The tattoo's cover him in a way that makes him hard to read but one significant piece of evidence fails to escape Squalo's eye.
The rain guardian taps to a hole near the man's chest, "Look here".
"Whoever killed him did it with some sort of small, sharp projectile, it has cut through his body perfectly".
"Well it wasn't Xanxus" Tsuna answers with a smirk. He starts as someone enters his mind, "It could have been Bana".
"Really" Gokudera exclaims, excited at the prospect, "You think we could have found him 10th".
"That guy…" Squalo begins, "It would be a huge coup if we could get him on our side".
This is an understatement in Tsuna's opinion. With all due respect to both Xanxus and Enma, Bana is the second strongest mafioso behind Tsuna, the man who challenged him in the strongest ring contest in history. If there were to be anyone else who could provide hope in this time of darkness, his name would be Vongola Bana.
"The problem is; we have no way of tracking his movements" Ellen notes as she strokes her chin.
"Then we need to think up a plan" the 10th declares, his voice full of authority as looks to those around him.
A short while passes while the groups on either side of the phone gather their resources, maps, strategists, those with local knowledge and more.
"10th, I've got Haru here with us seeing as she knows Bana the best" Gokudera explains.
"I will do everything I can to help" Juu's mother calls through the phone.
Tsuna nods, Haru's knowledge will be very helpful given that she is the only one from the mafia police who wasn't with Bana the day of the fateful battle. For many years she respected Vongola Bana as her boss, as the man who would help her get vengeance by triumphing over Sawada Tsunayoshi, ironic retrospectively.
"Good" Tsuna acknowledges his subordinate, "Then Haru, what sort of thing would attract Bana's attention".
"The boss uses that bow sight to see things at very long range, perhaps some sort of explosion would attract his attention".
Squalo snorts, unimpressed as he is with the idea. "It would also attract the attention of everyone else within a twenty-mile radius".
"What if I were to power up whilst flying high up in the sky" the boss suggests, "Then he would see me".
Ellen shakes her head and rebukes the idea. "The Yakuza would attack; Honda would come running. If he brought the others with him then we might lose both you and Bana. That would be the darkest day in history".
"Then how about I give him some signal about where we are going next while I power up" Tsuna adds with wide arms. "He's bound to be looking at me while I do it, how could he not, then I give him the signal, say we are going to a city somewhere in the states".
"VOI, What about that man". Squalo is pointing at a seemingly unremarkable member of the resistance.
The man points at himself dumbly, "Me?".
"That shirt says New York on it, what if you wear that boss".
Xanxus says that this is an unacceptable solution through the phone. "Others might see it too, besides how is he supposed to know that means you are going to New York, it might be too subtle".
Tsuna smiles, "In that case I will take your shirt Squalo".
"Don't you think it will be a bit big on you" the rain officer dryly remarks as he crosses his arms.
"What have Squalo's ridiculously expensive shirts got to do with any of this" Xanxus asks.
He described it perfectly, Squalo is known for going around in neat white shirts from the finest Italian shops. He has so many of them that he has managed to keep them around even throughout the war.
"It's pure white" the 10th explains, "We will write a message in small print on it, explaining that I am going to New York, since it will be so small nobody else will be able to read it but Bana".
"What if you are facing the wrong direction" Haru asks.
"That's no problem" her boyfriend answers, "Just write the message on every side of the shirt".
Tsuna nods, although Gokudera can't see it. The Vongola boss supplements the gesture with words, "Alright then, let's put this plan into action".
An Abandoned House, USA
Kyoko hurries down the stairs to the familiar scene of the mafia police eating tinned food. They have been eating tinned food for years now, it can't have been healthy, they are humans not dogs. The sun policewoman has bigger things on her mind than tinned food though.
"Husband, I think you should head upstairs and have a look".
"Why" Bana questions, curious about the urgency in is wife's tone.
"Someone seems to be flying nearby".
Bana shows no signs of the stiffness he experienced last time. He leaps to his feet and grabs his bow in under a second, this situation is far more dangerous, far more crucial than last time.
"The Yakuza must have sent a strong one" he declares as he runs up the stairs and looks through his bow.
The other members of the mafia police follow their chief. They are well aware that if they decide to fight one of the truly strong Yakuza member they would probably die but that is a risk they are willing to make. If they can bring down one of those mighty Yakuza, they wouldn't mind giving their life to do it, such is the helplessness of their struggle.
"I can't believe it" Bana starts as he looks down the sights, "IT'S TSUNA".
"WHAT?" Kyoko jumps in shock.
"Sawada… the Vongola boss?" Lancia shares Kyoko's shock.
"What is he doing in the sky" Tokata asks, focusing as hard as he can on the situation at hand. This moment may change the fate of the world; he decides he can't spend it gawking at the world's hope.
"He's powering up to maximum" Bana informs his followers.
"Then we have to help him, a fight is about to come" Sorata says as he pulls out his extending staff.
Lancia places his hand on the shoulder of his eager comrade. "Hold on one minute, it could be a trap".
"Surely we have to go" Kyoko argues, "This might be it for the mafia if we don't, we have to at least try and help him".
"Wait" Bana orders as a smiles slowly creeps onto his face, "This isn't a trap, it's a clever message, a very clever message. It's in tiny little writing on his shirt, an order, Vongola Bana, head to New York".
"You can read the writing on his shirt from this far away" Kyoko asks, still shocked about the appearance of her ex.
"It could just be coincidence" Tokata replies.
"No, it can't be, only I could have read that" Bana decides, "Get ready, we are leaving for New York tonight, that is where we will find him".
The others begin to pack their remaining tin food into old sacks. They all decide that logically this is quite likely to be a trap but they can't keep the smiles off their faces. After all this time, has Sawada Tsunayoshi really come for them, is he really still fighting for them.