THE NEW WORLD – FORWARDS AND BACKWARDS
A Resistance Hideout, New York
This resistance hideout has been the hardest to set up. The main problem being that unlike most hideouts, this one is in the centre of a well-protected city. New York is a city with a huge population, it's a city with enough enforcement officers to wage a war and it's a city with Yakuza eyes everywhere.
It's Ellen's greatest work to date, the base in which she hides with Tsuna and Squalo, her commanders. They are in an abandoned section of the underground system, an area which has been hidden by the most intelligent minds in the city that never sleeps. Ellen has successfully picked out these people to hide this place and it has been hidden without them being discovered. They have been here for several hours without an attack from the Yakuza, it would seem they have gotten away with it.
The trio contact their Himalayas allies using their phone. Tsuna and Squalo fail to understand how they are able to use the phone underground; Ellen suggests it's part of a very clever setup by some local physicists so they decide not to enquire further.
"The plan was pretty good but I finally am beginning to see a problem" Xanxus declares through the phone.
"What's that" Tsuna asks as he leans against a wall near the phone.
Xanxus voice comes through the phone louder than ever, "How the hell is he supposed to find you in New York, this is no different to before".
Ellen and Squalo look at each other with an expression of concern. It is indeed no different than before, they know they are looking for each other but New York is big place to search for someone. Bana's group have no members with Ellen's skills either, they have no way of finding a local resistance, this could lead to them being caught.
"I hate to admit it 10th but Xanxus is right". Gokudera now speaks through the phone, "There is no difference from before, New York is just too big".
Tsuna snickers, "Are you being slow on purpose?".
Squalo walks over to Tsuna and looks him in the eye. "What do you mean boss, do you mean that there is a difference?".
"Of course" the 10th begins, "I've already send several people out with orders".
Ellen now walks over to Tsuna as well. "You could have told me, so what were the orders, don't keep me in suspense".
"I have told them to wear shirts like the one you gave to me, pure white shirts with messages written on them. Then I sent them to places where Bana will definitely see them".
"I get it" Xanxus starts through the phone, "Landmarks".
"The statue of liberty, central park, the empire state building, sports arenas, in these places and many more". The 10th shrugs his shoulders, "They knew more places in the city than I did obviously, so I told them to go to all the most famous locations".
"One man or woman has gone to each of these places wearing a shirt with small writing on it" Tsuna explains, "And the writing this time has my name and this address written on it".
Ellen smiles, "Unlike last time Bana won't need a prompt to look in the right direction, he will do it out of habit".
Tsuna nods, happy that Ellen understands his thinking. "Human habit, it's a powerful tool, one thing that we will always be able to rely upon and the Yakuza will never be able to stop".
Squalo joins in, a huge smile on his face. "Plus there is Bana's eyesight, that's something they could never hope to compete with".
"There's still one problem" Tsuna's shoulders drop, "What if Bana was never there in the first place, what if it wasn't him, what if all this is for nothing".
"Don't worry about that" a voice comes from a nearby entrance to the room, "I saw it boss and we're all damn glad to see you".
"Bana…" Tsuna pauses for a long while as he locks eyes with the second strongest member of the mafia, "Welcome to the New York hideout, welcome to the resistance, welcome back to the mafia and lastly, welcome home".
Bana places his hand over his heart, "There really is a resistance… father your faith in Tsuna wasn't misplaced".
"Your father's faith was placed in all of us Bana, more than anyone he put his faith in you, his son, never forget that" Tsuna answers back as he places a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Bana nods and Kyoko looks long and hard at Tsuna. "So all this time… you really haven't stopped fighting" she asks. There is still a small part of Kyoko that wants to hold a grudge but it becomes harder when she comes to this realisation. The 10th has really fought for them all along.
"Is that the boss?" Haru shouts through the phone.
"A phone" Bana looks over to the custom made device with wide eyes, "Is that Haru".
"Boss it's me".
Bana laughs jovially, "Haru… it's too good to be true, where are you".
"I'm in the Himalayan mountains" Haru answers, "I don't know where exactly but I'm in the mountains".
A second voice comes through the phone, the voice belongs to Xanxus, "Primo Clone, Haru is speaking from the Varia's Himalayas headquarters, naturally the Varia are here too".
"A Varia HQ on the other side of the world" Bana smiles as his eyes become watery, the realisation of such a strong resistance is almost too much for him. "There really is a full scale resistance, after all this time".
Lancia smiles at his boss' reaction, Lancia himself is more used to solitude and mental anguish than the clone. Bana was born as a full-grown adult so it is easy to forget he is actually very young and inexperienced, the cloud policeman is opposite in this sense, being one of the most experienced people working under the seven great mafioso. As a result, Lancia is not only relieved for himself but more so is relieved for his juniors after they have finally had a great weight lifted from their shoulders.
"Haru, you're alive" Kyoko speaks into the phone.
Kyoko and Haru have a closeness found seldom even between members of the same mafia groups. The duo was together all throughout their trip to the future and in the present timeline when they had supported Tsuna's guardians in their tribulations. Further to this they survived a kidnapping together and trained at the same time under the tutelage of a young Vongola Bana. Before the war, they were inseparable.
"There is so much that has happened, I have so much to tell you" Kyoko continues, sounding more excitable than Tsuna has seen her since before her 'death'.
"So you are here Squalo" Sorata, the rain policeman notes, "So the resistance has gotten to the stage of exchanging personnel".
Squalo nods to his fellow rain attribute, "Yes, this resistance is serious guys, you really have found your route back into the fight. From now on you won't run helplessly from the Yakuza, you will fight with a purpose and with a goal".
The teary Bana turns away from the phone and to his wife. He puts his arms around Kyoko and embraces her tightly, years' worth of emotion flooding out along with his tears.
"Did you always believe in him…" Kyoko asks.
"From the moment he freed me" Bana responds, "I have always believed in him".
The room is filled with positive emotion, relief, joy, happiness, ecstasy. There is not a person in sight who is not in tears or smiling widely, yet that all changes when a message comes through on the phone.
"I'm really sorry to ruin the beautiful moment you are all sharing but have some bad news". The speaker is Gokudera, he seems relatively calm and mutated compared to his usual shouting self.
"What is it Gokudera" Tsuna asks.
"We caught someone from the Yakuza recently and he has begun to talk, I have reason to believe that we have a traitor amongst our ranks… we are going to have to disband the local force and relocate".
"How long do we have" Xanxus asks.
"He can't move as fast as we did when we attacked the city" Gokudera notes, "That time we took a quick and dangerous route only possible because those of us with strength were overseeing the operation. Especially with this weather we have right now, it will take him just under a week to contact Honda".
The Himalayas HQ
Xanxus is scratching his chin while he wonders what to do. He ponders for a moment or two before he turns to the storm policewoman, "Haru, you stay here on the phone to keep communications open, I am going to see what evidence Gokudera has found".
"I will" Haru answers cheerfully as she sits in the seat closest to the phone.
Xanxus rises to a standing position and walks purposefully through the HQ. He strides in the same direction that Gokudera is going just ahead of him. The Varia leader catches up and walks side by side with the storm guardian as they approach one of the newly built rooms.
Gokudera opens the door to the room and gestures Xanxus in. He does go in and when he enters he is confronted by the sight of one man chained up against the wall, that man is surrounded by his loyal subordinates, the Vongola assassination squad, the Varia.
"This guy is?".
"He is a Yakuza officer as I'm sure you suspect" Gokudera answers, "A short while ago I found him trying to sabotage our communication system, trying to use it to alert someone, Honda presumably".
Xanxus looks to the engineer, "You stopped him in time".
"Who do you think I am?" the white haired engineer smiles in reply.
Levi turns to Xanxus; the man he respects most in the world. "Lord Xanxus, he told us there is a traitor in our midst and he even gave us a name".
"I assume you checked it".
"The man with that name is gone" Mammon answers this time as he floats slightly above the ground, "He was one of our top guys, he had full access to our top level files and plans".
"Then it's true" Xanxus murmurs under his breath, "OK, we have to move our HQ within one week".
The chained Yakuza then takes his turn to speak. "Let me tell you something, Lord Xanxus of the resistance". The way he says Lord Xanxus is laced with sarcasm and ridicule.
"I'm not interested" Xanxus replies as he turns his back on the Yakuza.
"I have learnt plenty about this place, the wireless technology to use that satellite, you aren't capable of moving it within one week".
Xanxus laughs maniacally. "You know what, a few years ago I might have believed you but now I think you are underestimating us".
Xanxus takes in the venomous stare of the chained man as he continues, "We have accomplished so much so far, we won't let the resistance die just because of one traitor".
"Within one week we will have moved everything, you can count on that".