Hello my dear viewers, NainTarlow checking in with the year's first chapter of Mafia X Vampire
I hope everyone finds the new year better than the last, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
On a more serious note, despite my initial plans, the battle between Tsuna's group and Saru, Mei and Shikaku drags on even longer. I hope you are enjoying it, I'm having a lot of fun writing in, though I also wish to advance with the plot. I also begin starting a sort of side-story at the end of the chapter. It was originally a long, stand-alone chapter but I thought it would be better to release it in parts as a side-story so I won't have to stop with progressing the Rosario side of the plot.
Thank you for the favorites, follows and reviews, stay safe and enjoy this new chapter.
Chapter 15 Showdown
"You are exactly the type that I absolutely hate! Do you think you are such a big shot with that stupid power of yours and girls hanging around you? Well, I will tell you that you are nothing more but a stupid, insolent nobody. And someone like you has no business hanging around my Kurumu-chan." Nagare panted as he glared at Tsukune a few feet away, trying uselessly to pour out more of his poison gas while his body was busy sweating out the oily substance which was solely responsible for his avoiding being squatted by an enraged Tsukune.
"Please, as if you have any business telling who can be around me." Kurumu shot back furiously despite lying on the ground, barely able to move. Let it never be said she wouldn't think twice badmouthing idiots despite her situation. "And for your information, my Tsukune is a hundred times the man you are, he is my Destined One after all."
The teen in question didn't have a witty comeback on his lips and could only offer an animalistic growl as Tsukune tried his very best to cling into the fading embers of the dying will flame. Unfortunately, several minutes passed since the start of this 'battle' without anything to show for it, neither side able to score a direct hit. The flames on his forehead almost completely disappeared and he knew if that happened, despite his slightly better than average human fitness level, he would have no chance of winning.
They found themselves stuck at the moment, both of them unable to land a decisive blow or incapacitate the other.
Tsukune while he had the power to easily defeat Nagare was unable to land a hit thanks to the slug's ability to slip away from him at the last second. On the other hand, his opponent was simply lacking the strength to knock out the human. His usual tactics resolved the use of his poison gas which was unexpectedly rendered ineffective by Tsukune wild swings which picked up enough wind to disperse what his body could produce.
Gritting his teeth, Nagare tried his hardest to force his body to keep going. He was quite weak physically, his other abilities serving him well to get say if he ever found himself in a fight but this fight was not one he could lose. Not only would he lose his Kurumu-chan who he was convinced that belonged to him but he was also well aware of what Shikaku would do to him if he failed. And if nothing else he had a great sense of self-preservation.
Unfortunately, his body's ability to emit his poisonous gas was at its limit with nothing to show for it. That meant even his plan to tire Tsukune out so it would affect him was out of the window.
Behind the brunet he saw Kurumu trying to get up, her arms sluggishly but slowly responding to her commands, meaning the poison in her was wearing out too. Nagare gained a cruel smile on his face as a thought struck him. It was time for desperate measures.
Catching the two in front of him off-guard instead of running away like he did before, the slug youkai suddenly charged forward. Tsukune, while he felt something was off, decided to do the same, running forward, his right arm cocked back for a punch, planning to use this chance to end the fight finally.
Just when the two fighters were about to meet, Nagare caught him off-guard as he slowly dipped low, using the natural flexibility of his body to get under his guard but instead of exploiting the opening and dealing very little damage with his strength, he ran past him, his eyes fixed on his real target, the still mostly paralyzed Kurumu.
"If I can't get you, nobody will!" he yelled with a deranged laugh as his eyes flashed dangerously.
The girl's eyes widened, her mouth opening as if ready to scream but a moment later she abandoned it as she almost ended on her face again as her shaky arms collapsed under her, making it impossible for her to move in time. The dying will user roared as he tried to turn around and reverse his momentum but out of the of them, Nagare was the faster and had a headstart too, making the outcome a foregone conclusion.
Tsukune gritted his teeth as he reached out, trying to catch the elusive teen but he was simply too far away.
"Kurumu!" he cried out in worry, just as Nagare reached her.
Of course, the photographer didn't really plan on killing her just yet but she would be a perfect hostage, a goody-two-shoes like Tsukune wouldn't want her to come to any harm. It will ensure no funny business from him while also accomplishing what Shikaku wanted from him, keeping him safe from his wrath too. It was the perfect plan, something he should have tried much earlier.
Just as he felt his fingers about to close around her throat, he cried out in pain as he felt something ram into him and a moment later his entire body was filled to the brim with pain as electricity surged through him. An exceedingly long second later he felt his body land a few feet away but he couldn't even move a muscle without uncontrollable spasm running through his body, leaving him completely vulnerable. Unfortunately, the irony of being paralyzed similarly to his victims was not lost on him.
"Lambo?" Tsukune muttered in surprise as he stopped and watched Nagare being hit by much more electricity than the human or the youkai body is meant to endure by the young bovino.
The dying will flame on the top of his head dissipated as in his shock he lost hold of his diminishing power, leaving him as a perfectly normal human standing in the middle of a clearing in his underwear. It would have been as embarrassing as most times he ended up like this but he had a few more important matters at hand.
Somewhat dumbly, he looked at his previous opponent as he lay there on the ground, spasming and unable to even scream in pain but the grimace told him enough of Nagare's current condition. He then turned to Lambo who stood in front of Kurumu who was in a similar state of shock as himself. He had his strange horns equipped, and lightning surrounded his form, crackling dangerously around him as he glowered at the downed youkai.
Normally the boy looked so unassuming and more like a comedic relief to Tsuna's usual antics that he tended to forget that Lambo was quite strong in his own right and belonged to the hidden world where Tsuna acquired the dying will bullets. And while most of the time Lambo was just another tormentor of his during training, it was a big relief to see him here.
"Kurumu! Tsukune!" a worried voice called out to them, prompting both of them to look over to Moka running towards them with Yukari on her heels.
"What, what are you guys doing here?" the succubus asked with shock evident in her voice as she tried to sit up, only to be stopped as Moka crashed into her, throwing her arms around her neck and drawing her into a painful hug.
"You idiot." the vampire scolded her, even though she seemed to barely hold back her tears."Why didn't you say anything? We are your friends, we would have helped you. You shouldn't have shouldered this burden alone."
"Don't be so soft on her, Moka-nee. She had too much material go into that chest of hers, so her head is pretty empty, you need to make sure to spell it carefully so she would never think of idiocy like this next time." Yukari said in a grumpy tone as she arrived next to them but despite her words, she had her wand out and glared at the slug youkai, shaking in rage.
"You guys..." Kurumu muttered, trailing off as tears gathered in her eyes, touched by the gesture. Even after how she acted, they still came to her aid. "I'm sorry." she sobbed loudly as her weak arms came up to return Moka's embrace, all of the pent-up emotions of the last two days coming out as she savored the feeling of warmth the other girl came off.
"You guys came." Tsukune said with a warm smile, looking at the scene in front of him as he walked close to Lambo, though not so close that he would be hit by a stray lightning bolt. He had a minor sense of self-preservation after all.
Not that long ago he was worried that his group of friends he made in the newspaper group would tear into pieces, with Kurumu's strange behavior and Tsuna's refusal to be included but it seems he was wrong at doubting his newfound friends. He could definitely say he was never more glad to be wrong.
"Of course." the younger teen answered with a smile, though he still didn't take his eyes off the still unmoving Nagare. "Tsuna-nii always taught me that it's never wrong to help a friend, even if said friend didn't want the help at all." he added with a soft chuckle.
"That doesn't sound like him at all." the black-haired teen commented with a sweatdrop.
He knew that Tsuna did care about his friends, but he had a very subtle way of showing it. He did get the feeling from some off-handed comments to him that he used to be different before but he had trouble believing that, after all, he only knew him as the merciless trainer and fellow human in a school of monsters.
"There, there. It will be alright." Moka said softly to the still shaken succubus as she slowly stood up, helping Kurumu up as well as her body was still a bit uncoordinated. "We got you." she promised.
"Well if nee-san is so forgiving, guess I could forgive you too." Yukari commented with a nonchalant tone but couldn't hide the small smile on her face. "After all, you only have your enormous chest going for you, we shouldn't be surprised by your stupidity."
Kurumu gave her a wet laugh, seeing what she was trying to do but was too relieved by their presence to care.
"It's still better than being a flat, little, know-it-all girl." she sniped back with a brittle smile and Moka softly smiled while Yukari looked like she couldn't decide to get mad or laugh.
"He's getting up." Lambo said softly, his eyes narrowed as he looked forward.
Tsukune while being distracted by the scene in front of him heard him and looked in the direction he saw Nagare land, only for his eyes to widen in shock as he witnessed the slug youkai struggling to stand up.
His whole body was slightly burnt by the amount of electricity he was hit with, and he was clearly having a hard time even moving the slightest bit but it didn't stop him. It looked like the slime his body was producing something canceled at least part of the attack otherwise he would have been knocked out. Tsukune knew that from experience, being hit by Lambo's electrico cornata.
"Guess we have to postpone the touching reunion." Tsukune muttered to himself as he steeled himself, even knowing how much over his head he was with his dying will deactivated.
Even knowing the risks it contained, his hand still closed around the pill container, ready to grab one if worst comes to worst. He conveniently decided not to think about how did the dying will pills remained on his person, despite all of his clothes save for his underwear getting shredded before, or how all of his boxers appeared to gain a back pocket overnight. He feared the answer and decided that ignorance was bliss.
"Damn you." Nagare spit out with a venomous glare as he raised his head towards them."Why do you have to get in my way? Why can't you leave things alone? You are ruining everything." he yelled at them as he tried to take a step in their direction, only falling to his knees as his body gave out, grunting in pain.
He didn't look like he could cause much harm in his current state, still, it prompted Moka to stand in front of Kurumu protectively, glaring at the half-baked slug with anger.
"Stay away. We won't let you do anything to Kurumu any longer." she declared, despite knowing she was not that much stronger than Tsukune while her powers were sealed and Tsuna, the only one able to remove her limiter was nowhere to be found.
"One of these days, your recklessness will be the death of us." her other self snarked as she could only watch from inside the seal, her frustration evident.
Lambo didn't say anything, only keeping a vigilant watch on the injured youkai, though Tsukune saw from the corner of his eyes a somewhat uneasy expression on his face as he lowered his head, readying himself for another chance with his electric attack if it was needed.
Not that Tsukune believed there was any need for that. Considering how fatigued Nagare must have been after their relatively short scuffle and tanking one of Lambo's attacks, he knew from experience that it was more than enough to take out from most people. And it was obvious looking at his state he won't be able to try anything serious.
"Shut up! You don't get to judge me." Nagare said as he glared at them with sheer hate, a completely deranged look in his protruding eyes.
Tsukune instinctively took a step back in shock, that look was nothing like it was before, it was as if he went over the edge and finally snapped. He couldn't deny the uneasy shiver as the look turned to him after staring Moka down for a long moment.
"Popular, strong ones like you have no idea where I come from." he raged at them as he fell on his face and tried to crawl toward them, prompting everyone to take a step back. It was not a pretty sight. "If you are not born into the right race, if you are not strong or charismatic you will be ridiculed from the start, never given a chance to be anybody. You ran around, laughing and having fun and I despise you for it. Why can you have it if I can't? If I go near anybody, they turn away in disgust just because of what I am. Why should I try if I am destined to fail? Don't look at me as if you knew what it means to be the bottom of the barrel." he continued to yell, his glare jumping from person to person.
A part of Tsukune could sympathize with that, knowing he was on the bottom of the social ladder in his middle school, and he would have surely died in this school if it wasn't for the friendships he made but that thought was soon squashed off. In the end, it came down to choice and Nagare made the decision to blackmail Kurumu, to torment and use her selfishly.
It was a pitiful and disturbing sight, yet he couldn't feel it in himself to truly feel bad for him, after what he tried to do to his friend. To Kurumu. The tears in her eyes, the relief she greeted him when he appeared, only cemented his resolution.
Looking at the others they all had a strange mixture of pity, disgust, and disbelief of him blaming the world for the situation he was in, instead of owning up what he did and face the consequences. Kurumu was the worst off, bod still trembling slightly and clinched the back of Moka's shirt as she glared at him with revulsion.
Ultimately it only seemed to anger the youkai slowly crawling toward them even more.
"Don't look at me with those eyes! You are the worst of them all Kurumu! You used me when it was convenient for you and dropped me the first chance you got. You belong to me, it may turn to use you! And when I'm done with you-"
He was abruptly cut off as someone appeared behind him out of nowhere and stomped down on him so hard that the ground under Nagare cracked up and he let out a bloodcurdling scream.
"What in the?" horrified, Tsukune and the others could only watch as Shikaku stood on the photographer's back, making sure to leave a perfect dent in the form of his body in the ground with a cruel smirk on his face.
After a long moment, Nagare stopped screaming and could only give out low whimpers as tears streamed out of his eyes, prompting the short boy to step off of him none too gently and turning to his audience with an impassive expression.
"Good grief. Just when this pitiable charade was getting even mildly entertaining, you had to go and ruin it. Guess, I'll have to handle you personally. Don't try to die too fast on me," he told them, at the end his mouth stretching to a smirk.
He was facing them, completely relaxed with his hands in his pockets but even so, Tsukune couldn't help the shiver that ran through his spine. Shikaku radiated a presence that made him freeze in his tracks and feeling as if a wrong move could end his life before he noticed it. It may have not been as strong as the one Moka radiated when she was released but it was terrifying all the same.
"Just who is this guy?" he muttered to himself.
"Get ready, Omote. This one means serious business" Moka's vampire side warned as she regarded the small teen through the seal. "Without removing the rosary, you will have no chance against him."
-0-
"Are you kidding me?" Mei asked in a low voice, with barely restrained anger as she stared at the scene in front of her. "What kind of interruption is that? Aren't things like that supposed to only happen in anime?" she raged, much to Tsuna's amusement.
In front of her and Saru stood their target Sawada Tsuanoyshi and a little older looking boy in some kind of postman uniform who appeared out of nowhere and blocked her attack that would have ripped off that annoying head of Tsuna from the rest of his body, with a large box of all things.
Tsuna made a big show-off of looking at his wristwatch to check the time, suggesting that all of that was according to some plan of his, even giving them a taunting smirk. Saru only grunted, hiding most of his anger behind a calm facade but the mafioso was able to see through him and was pleased with what he saw. An angered enemy was one that would be easier to fool, after all.
Natsu softly growling on his shoulders brought him out of his thoughts, the sky lion looking curiously at Itadaki who returned the look with his own large eyes unblinkingly. Tsuna found it hilarious and would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious.
"I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi." he spoke up softly to regain Itadaki's attention, the postman teens turning to him in an instant."But I have to say I'm impressed by the Post Office Club. I heard it was advertised as able to deliver on the dot but to arrive at just the specified minute to a hidden spot in the school is really remarkable." he said pleasantly, not in a particular hurry to move things along.
Itadaki returned the smile sent on his way and chuckled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with his free hand. He had an unassuming, harmless air about him that was rare in the academy. Honestly, Tsuna wouldn't be surprised to see him back at Namimori, delivering newspapers on a bike with a large, happy smile on his face.
"Of course, our club prides itself in our punctuality and reliability, nothing less is acceptable for an aspiring postman." he admitted proudly before his cheeks reddened and looked away in embarrassment. "Though I'm still new at the club so understandably I got the easier assignments for the time being but I hope I can prove my process as a member of the post office club. Almost forgot, please place your signature here." he said, handing him a paper and a pen, to accept the package, even if it came from himself.
"Thank you." Tsuna accepted the paper and went to skim through it, a habit that Reborn took great lengths to instill in him. "Incidentally, our club is about to print its first newspaper, could it be possible to acquire your club's assistance to bring a few papers to each of the dorms? Even those farther away?" he asked in a conversational tone while he took the time to leave a few compliments at the review section of the paper.
It may have a little to do with the barely restrained rage on Mei's face or the sheer annoyance that Saru tried to hide. They tried to blackmail him, currently trying to kill him, he was allowed to be pretty especially since he still needed to stall time for Lambo and the others to deal with whoever is after Kurumu.
"I don't see any problem with it but you have to talk with the president about it:" Itadaki replied with a smile as he returned his curious if a little naive gaze to Natsu who stared at him silently."You have a very beautiful cat." he blurted out sheepishly.
Natsu proudly displayed himself on Tsuna's shoulders, meowing in appreciation in being recognized. While he and his partner shared a lot of characteristics, Natsu was still a cat at heart and loved being pampered.
"He is more like a lion than a cat. He is a faithful companion and friend, his name is Natsu." he answered in the end, giving a fond look to the sky lion who returned it with a purr.
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on who you asked, this little domestic interaction was the nail in the coffin, Mei's restraint came loose. With an enraged yell, she charged forward once again, intending to finish what she started.
Tsuna tensed as he noticed it, readying himself to dodge the attack but was proved to be unneeded when Itadaki simply moved. Without looking at it, he grabbed Mei's wrist just as she was about to land her hit, effortlessly stopping her in her tracks. Saru, Mei, and Tsuna looked at the deceptive looking teen in complete surprise, though Tsuna's expression soon turned slightly smug.
"What the heck are you?" the slightly psychotic girl asked, trying to get away from his grip but soon let out a grunt and fell to her knees as Itadaki put a little more force into his grip.
"Please don't interrupt, it's important post office business." he said in a serious voice, the smile leaving his face as he stared down the girl who fruitlessly tried to get free."You are free to continue where you left off after I finished handing over the requested package and went my way. Thank you."
With his piece said, he simply grabbed her with his other hand, picked her up with ease, and threw her at Saru, the large stone golem barely able to catch her, and even took a step back from the sheer force of the throw.
Tsuna remained tense before he forced himself to relax before Itadaki deemed him as someone hostile. It was clear he was much stronger than his frame suggested but even with being aware of that, he was still caught off-guard with the ease he deflected Mei, whose speed and strength was nothing to sneeze at.
"That's some strength." he praised before turning a sly smile on the teen."Guess you won't be joining in this conversation because you were attacked, am I right?" he asked and noticed the flash of worry on Saru's face from the corner of his eyes.
Turning sheepish, Itadaki shook his head, accepting the signature paper before handing him the large, heavy package.
"I'm sorry I would love to help but I'm still a first-year and the new guy at the club so I have a tight schedule to keep." he said apologetically and Tsuna could detect he was truly honest, he would help if he could. "All I could do is wish the best to you."
The human tried to keep his surprise hidden as best he could, shocked by the admission. He was a first-year? He did his best to subtly check around for the stronger players of the school to avoid pissing off someone so strong but it seems he missed one, a fellow first year at that. It seems he was getting rusty in his information gathering skills.
"It was a far-fetched idea anyway." he said instead, chuckling, showing he understood. "Well, this box will be more than enough, thank you for delivering it."
"It was my pleasure. Have a nice day and if you survive feel free to ask for our club's services." Itadaki said with a big smile, sending the still stunned Saru and Mei a cheerful wave and a moment later he was off, running at speed probably none of them could match to where his next delivery lay.
That left Tsuna along with Natsu and two pissed off youkai who definitely wanted his head now if they didn't before. Despite that, almost without actual thought, he hid his worries behind a cocky smirk.
"Thank you for your patience, it was most kind of you to wait for me to finish with my business." he told them with a slight mocking in his voice. He wasn't entirely sure but it looked like Mei was so red from rage she looked like she would catch fire any moment.
"Is this a game to you, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Saru asked with a low growl, his annoyance and impatience showing through the calm mask he desperately tried to keep on.
"Well, you guys seem hell-bent on killing me, so sue me. If I'm going out, I'm going out with a bang." he told them with a smirk, opening the lid of the box, whistling as he examined the contents. "I mean I knew what will it be in it since I packed it but damn, that looks nice." he kept up his commentary to draw attention away from him fishing out a small object from the box before closing it and grabbing one of its straps he put it on his back with a barely suppressed grunt.
It was a lot heavier than Itadaki made him but thankfully while he trained Tsukune, Tsuna didn't just laze around but trained on his own to keep himself in shape so it was manageable. It would be a pain to move with but it was better than letting it go after getting through all the trouble to get it delivered to him.
While he wasn't exactly unarmed before, he knew that in this situation there was no such thing as overkill, and needed as much of an edge against them as he could get his hands on.
"Just what's in that box?" Saru demanded as he took a step forward with an intimidating glower. It may have worked if he wasn't used to much scarier people staring down at him. Moka's vampire side came to mind for some reason.
While the stone golem seemed to be cautious, Mei, on the other hand, looked ready to pummel him to death at that very moment if not for the large hand on her shoulder, making her stop reluctantly. It, however, didn't stop the death glare sent his way. They were clearly divided on what sort of action to take and that hesitation was one that he wasn't afraid to exploit.
"Well if I showed up armed and ready, I would have been at a massive disadvantage. I needed a way to even out a field and thankfully the post office club is a rather trustworthy one. Wasn't even a second late." he told them before Natsu's warning growl had him instinctively jumping back and just in time.
The black-haired girl wrenched herself off of Saru's grip and charged forward once again, believing the third time's the charm, wanting to finally punch that annoying smirk off of that human's face. Much to her frustration, she only seemed to hit the air as Tsuna moved at the last second, dodging her. She was about to chase after him when she noticed a small object in the space between the two of them, a grenade of all things.
With a frustrated growl, Mei jumped back, trying to get out of the explosion. While youkai are resistant to conventional human weapons like firearms and explosives, they weren't immune so it could still deal damage to them, especially used by someone trained to use them properly. As much as she would have loved to charge and whether the blast, she was not foolish enough to underestimate this tricky opponent.
She was even more shocked when instead of an explosion, only a thick smoke emerged from the grenade, in a few seconds blanketing the whole clearing in a smoke cloud that completely obscured her vision.
"Where are you hiding, you coward?" she demanded angrily as she swiped blindly in the direction she last saw the former Vnogola but as expected she found nothing, only further angering her.
Saru frowned as his vision was drastically reduced. He went after Mei when she finally lost the last of her patience, much slower but it suited him more than well, it allowed him to watch Tsuna for any trick he tried to pull. Still, even he was caught off-guard by a smoke-screen and he was forced to stop after taking a few more steps, lest he charges into Mei or goes in the wrong way.
"What do you think you can accomplish with little tricks like that other than stalling the inevitable?" he asked, straining his senses, to find their elusive prey."You have nowhere to run where we can't find you and your friends aren't here to help you."
"Oh, I don't know about that." Tsuna's voice rang out around them but much to their annoyance it seemed to bounce around, making it hard to determine where it came from."You would never believe the skills you can pick up simply by living with various hitmen. If nothing else, I will make it harder for you to get paid."
That did not help to calm the black-haired girl, Mei growling in frustration as she started to swing wildly, hitting nothing but air. At least her powerful punches started to speed up the dispersion of the smoke around them and Saru was not about to let this chance slip from his fingers.
Sawada Tsunayoshi wasn't fleeing the clearing or he wouldn't have taunted them, instead of using the first chance he got. Meaning, he planned to deal with them here and now. It suited Saru just as well, he found something admirable in the ability to take a stand and fight instead of running, even if there was no chance of him defeating the both of them.
While Mei raged, Saru finally caught something moving in the corner of his eyes. Not wanting to miss this chance, he launched himself toward it, no longer thinking about going easy on the human but how nice it will feel to crush his head in his hand. Maybe if he wasn't so impatient and annoyed by Tsuna's antics, he would have thought about the possibility of whatever he saw being a trap or another trick.
That's why he was surprised when instead of flesh, his fist hit something metal. With his strength and durability, the metal gave out just as easily as flesh, he still noticed the difference between the two.
He looked down to inspect what he struck, the fading smoke making it easier. It seemed instead of Sawada Tsunayoshi, his fist went through the metal box that was brought to him and the tree it was propped next to.
Next to it, he saw the discarded vest of Tsuna laying on the ground, probably what caught his attention in the first place. Saru growled in frustration at being duped by that annoying human and vowed to make his death a really slow one to pay back the humiliation he suffered.
With his free hand, he grabbed the edge of the box, to rip his arm out of it. Without any exertion it came out, a small object following out. Looking down to inspect it, he was horrified to see a grenade land on the ground next to him. Turning to the hole he made on the box, he saw at least half a dozen explosives sitting there.
All of them were primed.
"Son of a-" he growled before this time an actual explosion cut off his words, a large boom ranging through the clearing and even sending Mei to the ground who was farther away.
The girl stood up with a grunt, angrily shaking her head in an effort to clear it. She was only caught by the edge of the explosion and suffered nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. She looked toward Saru and held back a wince at the shape he was in.
His clothes were burned but his stone body saved him from most of the damage but not all of them. His chest and arm were full of cracks and one look at his face showed how much pain was in. The worst was his right hand that was missing two fingers, probably the hand he raised to shield his face from the blast.
A beastly growl came from the large man as he struggled to his feet, looking around wildly. Thanks to the explosion the smoke from earlier was blown away completely, showing an empty clearing aside from them. But Tsuna was nowhere to be found.
"Sawada, I'll swear I will make it slow. I will make you suffer and beg for death and I'm not giving it to you until I'm satisfied." he yelled to the air, all semblance of restraint and patience have gone from his face. "You will die, Sawada!"
As the large stone golem began to rage around blindly, Mei had an excited look on her face. She closed her eyes and took a large whiff of the air, before her eyes snapped open and turned toward the nearby forest, the smell of Tsuna definitely heading that way.
She couldn't hold back the predatory smile on her face as she signaled Saru in the direction their hit was running.
"Let the hunt begin." she purred as she started to follow the trail.
-0-
"Gao." Natsu's small cry informed him that his pursuers were on his trail, despite the distraction he caused with the explosives.
A small frown appeared on Tsuna's face as he ducked under a tree branch, careful not to lodge the small bag on his back into it. While he would have liked to gain a little more room to move with the use of that many explosives, it was still enough for him to begin the next stage of his plan.
When he packed the package he had delivered to himself, he put a small bag of grenades and a few more surprises so he could move with them more easily. Using most of the explosives to create a little room was the plan in the first place and it went down without a hitch.
This was where things would become more difficult. He no longer had a solid plan on how to proceed but had to wing it, according to his enemies' moves. He had to remain on guard and do his best to stay alive for the moment but more importantly, he had to hope that Tsukune and the others would be able to deal with things on their end.
"It's time to split up, partner." he said softly to Natsu, the cat growling in a low voice in agreement."I'm counting on you buddy."
His animal partner nodded seriously at that before jumping off of his shoulders to a nearby tree branch and with one last gao as a farewell started running toward his left. Tsuna stopped for a moment, looked in the direction Natsu went before going in the opposite direction, not wanting for Mei or Saru to go after Natsu when he was the more enticing prey.
As he ran, his eyes strayed to his wrist for a moment, where the watch he got from Dino rested. The sky and sun flames that he left inside were doing their job and though he could feel the fatigue from letting Natsu out of the ring, it was not too bad that he couldn't keep up, though he will have a lot of regrets come tomorrow. Still, it was a stop gag at best and the sooner this fight will be over, the better be for him.
Just as the thought ran through his head, his intuition flared up and without a pause to think about it, Tsuna jumped to the side, the tree he was just next to basically explode as Mei's arms punched through it like it was butter.
Cursing to himself, the former Vongola performed a quick roll not to lose his footing, not stopping even for a moment. His hand quickly went to his bag, grabbing two grenades and throwing them at his pursuer. He heard her growl in an otherworldly voice as they exploded, one a smoke grenade similar to what he used before, the other was a glue grenade whose main purpose was to slow her down.
"Tsuna-kun don't be so shy, let's be friends." she called out after him even as he got farther and farther away from her, the glue holding back even her strength, for the time being, her sweet voice sounding a little distorted. "Friends would have no problem with murdering each other." in the second part her voice turned pure demonic, a shiver running through his spine.
"Why do I always end up with the crazy ones?" he complained briefly to himself as he waded through the forest, periodically checking to see that the two youkai are still following him.
Here's hoping that everything goes according to plan.
-0-
I was supposed to end the chapter here, keeping it as a short one because I'm a bit behind my schedule that I didn't want to give you without a chapter but then I had an idea. I write a side story featuring a few khr characters who haven't got their screen time that I planned to release after the slug incident was over but since it's so slow going and I want to go ahead with the plot too, I decided to do it after every chapter, slowly bringing that line of the plot along.
-0-
"A storm is almost here, isn't it?" a young teen with silver shoulder-length hair that according to some people resembled an octopus, asked himself as he looked up at the sky that was covered in dark clouds.
He wore a white short-sleeved shirt, with black jeans and a studded belt. He also had a necklace with a menacing-looking skull at the end, and various rings on his fingers, making him look like a typical delinquent, especially with the smoking cigarette sticking out of his mouth. He was Gokudera Hayato, a few months ago proud right-hand man and storm guardian of the Vongola Decimo, Sawada Tsunayoshi.
Then the entire world turned on its head and that part of his life was seemingly over.
After the betrayal of Nono and the boss's father, their family fell apart. The others may not see it like that, choosing to concentrate on other parts of their lives but that was the truth. The loose cannons, Hibari and Mukuro were quick to jump ship, and the others followed in their own way and no matter how hard it was to admit, but in a way he did too, falling back to his old habits that he thought he got over.
He was loyal to the boss, there was no question about it. There was nothing in the world that would make him question his boss but he was mature enough to admit that he made a mistake. When the bonds between them were put into rest he assumed that he knew what his boss wanted and acted on it instead of waiting for him to give his orders. He did similar things when he was younger but he thought he grew past that, that he was a better right hand. Shows what he knew.
In retrospect, he had to laugh at how stupid he had been. Revenge? Avenging their honor? He knew his boss better than that, his first priority should have been making sure their family would stay strong and together, to act as the storm that holds and binds the other elements together to the sky.
By the time he realized this, it was already too late. Some of it was his pride talking, not wanting to come back empty-handed but the unrest caused by the brewing conflicts played a part in his decision. Also, he had to move carefully, to keep under Vongola's radar since few of their former allies could be trusted or were in a position to help. Not to mention that while his initial goals proved to be unachievable, he found a few interesting leads that were worth looking into.
As the first raindrops fell into his face, he gritted his teeth as he began to run, not wanting to get completely drenched in this sudden rainstorm, his plastic bag full of newly purchased groceries clutched close to his chest. A part of him wanted to snort at this picture, finding the irony of how much it resembled his life before he met the boss. Before he had a family to turn to.
When he ran away from home, his father's men tried to bring him back since even though he was a bastard, he was the male son of their boss. Back then, he used his rudimentary forgery and hacking skills to stay under the radar, drifting from one hideout to the other, while still seeking out other families to join and making a name himself as hurricane bomb. He could never find a place he felt he belonged, not until he met one Sawada Tsunayoshi.
The difference between that time and now, was that now he had to disappear completely, without letting out even a hint of his presence. And instead of his father's men, he had to avoid the vongola, cedef, even the varia since he is still not sure whose side they are on. Basically. most of the mafia could be a potential enemy.
It was a little more challenging but he was able to do it. Thankfully a couple of his hideouts still remained in Northern Italy, undiscovered by anyone, that he still was able to use them with various frequency in case someone tried to track him down. It was not an easy life, especially after experiencing what it meant to belong to a real family but he persevered through, for his boss and family.
He cursed as instead of letting up, the pour began to intensify, forcing him to find refuge under a shade, staying in place until the rain started to let up a little.
He thought about the last week, the changes, and most importantly, the sense of renewed purpose it gave him.
His boss contacted him and while he brought alarming news, since who could take on Reborn and come out victorious, he was also given new orders to look into the matter, using the memory card the hitman left to him. Though it annoyed him a little that he had to make contact with the bucking horse, the boss's orders were absolute.
His fist clenched tightly as he remembered making contact with the Cavallone and the things he learned from Dino. To learn that his Boss was poisoned made him furious and it was a pale silver lining that he was still up and standing despite the fact he should have died by now. It almost made him lash out, to hunt down anyone involved with the Vongola, mainly Sawada Iemitsu and Massimo Vongola. In the end, Dino was able to reason with him but it didn't stop Gokudera from risking stretching himself too thin by using the few contracts he had left from his freelance days to find a cure for the boss.
His world was further shaken by the confirmed existence of the supernatural which either validated or denied a few of his UFO theories. And to learn that his boss was alone, well with Lambo but who counts that brat, in a school for monsters, made him almost hurry back to Japan and his boss's side. And he wasn't jealous of his boss, not at all.
Of course, he knew that running back would help nobody so he went forward instead. Though in no means did it mean that in the pursuit of a cure, he let his other leads go cold. Just yesterday he moved to Firenze, taking a bit of a risk of moving too close to Vongola territory, trying to track down a certain engineer. At the same time, he began to decode the card left by Reborn, which led him to surprising discoveries.
The memory card was coded in a language based on his own G-script, with a mixture of the one his future version used in the future that Byakugan ruled. It was hard, even for him to correctly decode it, he doubted many people even had a chance to figure it out without the knowledge of his secret language. As expected of Reborn.
He briefly wondered how he knew both versions of the language he created when he was bored but he knew the hitman well enough not to ask. He would never get a straight answer.
Gokudera experimentally thrust his hand out in the open as he noticed that the rain slowed down to a nice drizzle. Deciding that he had enough standing around, he stepped out and began to once again follow one of the paths he made to reach his current hideout, with a lot of unnecessary detours in case he was followed.
But he wasn't, he confirmed a few moments later, which let him relax a guard a little bit and began to think about how much he learned from that memory card. Reborn was through, there was no question there. He was only able to go over less than a third of the information, it was so thoroughly encoded, with different keys hidden in different files, reminding him of Sistema c.i.a. in a sense but what little he found already made him worry.
Individually they were not so frightening or alarming at all. Indeed at first glance, it looked like ordinary things that happened in the mafia. In family A the leader died in poisoning, no sign of who did it. In family B, they changed alliances, betraying family C and allying with family D. Hitman from A was sent to hunt down target X but was killed by Hitman from B who was sent to kill Hitman A. Family Y was going bankrupt because Family Z encroached on their territory and stole most of their income.
The picture was further expanded by reports and communications Reborn included that he had with his various contracts, other hitmen, and even a few high ranking members in various families. He had no idea why these were included, since individually they did not make some sense, even if their very existence would be highly classified information. But together, along with the other data they painted a worrying picture.
Something was brewing in the world of the mafia, someone moving pieces in a way that war, a war that could even pull civilians and youkai into it as well, looks more and more unavoidable by the day. The question was what reason could something like this serve and who could profit in the whole world lighting up in flames? And it was less than a third of the info Reborn stored into the card, making Gokudera fear for what could be on the rest of it, even as the urge to go back to his boss's side grew harder and harder to resist.
He turned around a corner, the rain finally stopping altogether, leaving the roads full of puddles of various sizes. He walked straight forward, uncaring about his jeans or shoes getting wet since they were already drenched, questions running circles in his mind, making him a bit more obvious of his surroundings than he would have preferred.
Why would Reborn send this to Tsuna, when it was obvious he was the only one who could decode it in a reasonably short time and the hitman was aware he wasn't in Japan? Who could make Reborn disappear without any trace of a fight or a large amount of bloodshed? Just what was going on behind the scenes and how did it relate to them?
So engrossed the bomber was in his thoughts that he didn't notice the presence of a person behind the dumpster a few feet away from him, just next to the hidden entrance to his current hideout until said person gave a soft whimper that he only caught by chance.
Body tensing, he stopped immediately, carefully placing down the bag holding his groceries and filled his hands instantly with dynamite, ready to lit up use at a moment's notice. He was not a trained hitman for nothing, even if he got a little careless for a moment. He stealthily approached the dumpster, ready to act in the slightest suspicion of a trap.
He wondered who was able to find out about this hideout. The vongola, the cedef? Both of them had resources for it but he was also aware of their modus operandi and was able to stay undetected by them until now. A smaller, local family? They could notice something out of place much easier but all of them had better things to do than spy after a lone hitman. Maybe the people after Reborn? But they wouldn't make a rookie mistake like being found out so easily.
"Just who the heck do you think you are?" he shouted angrily as he lost his patience and jumped forward, his bombs ignited, for a moment losing his cool and acting recklessly. At least he had the presence of mind to bite back the curse that was on the top of his tongue. Sawada Nana was a naive woman in the eyes of most, who couldn't hurt a fly but try to curse in her and the kids' presence and you learn a new meaning of fear. Gokudera knew he was there enough times for the lesson to stick.
He expected many things. A horde of assassins, maybe a bomb, even the thought of Xanxus or one of the Varia lying in wait for him ran through his mind but what he found behind that dumpster was nowhere near anything he anticipated.
On the ground a female form sat, leaning on the dumpster and acting unaware of his presence. He doubted she was conscious, he even doubted if she was alive for a moment but her labored breathing and occasional whimpers convinced him of that. She looked really ill, pale and malnourished under all the grime and dirt that covered her form. She must have been some homeless girl who just found her way here, a coincidence, nothing more, he began to assure himself. He quickly extinguished his dynamites, though he refrained from putting them away in case any more surprises were waiting for him.
He was about to dismiss her when, as he watched her closely, he was hit by a sense of familiarity. Her clothes were green, cut up, and ruined beyond repair but it was definitely a school uniform, a uniform that he last saw in Japan, not in Italy. Furthermore, her dark blue hair, which was shoulder length and obscured most of her face looked familiar. But the final recognition came after he carefully crouched next to her and gently swiped her hair to the side, revealing an eyepatch on her right eye that had a battered-looking, once silver skull on top of it.
"Ch-chrome?" he asked in disbelief.
It was indeed one of the mist guardians of their family, Mukuro's little sidekick who followed after his shadow like a lost puppy. He had nothing against the girl, even the fact that she left their boss's side could be overlooked since her life was tied to Mukuro so if anyone was to be blamed. it was that stupid pineapple-haired illusionist.
She looked in a really bad shape, she was beaten up, probably was starving for days and he noticed with increasing alarm that her organs that were called existence by Mukuro's and later her own mist flames were fading gradually. And no matter how much he disliked it, he had to put aside his questions about what happened here, how did she get here and how did she find him, because she was on the verge of dying.
She needed mist flames to sustain her organs and fast. Unfortunately, while he had affinities to other types of dying will flames in various quantities, mist was one he couldn't use at all, he didn't even have a mist ring on him. But if he didn't hurry, his boss would never forgive him.
He could call the bucking horse, but he doubted Dino could send anyone in time since he was based in the south, and none of his own contacts could help him. Thankfully, being sort of apprenticed to Shamal gave a few more contracts to try. If he remembered right, one of them, a mist user at that was not far from him and they weren't really strong but hopefully, they were able to keep the girl's organs in existence until she was able to do it herself.
It will be a red signal for everyone looking for him if he didn't handle it correctly but this was a risk he had to take if he wanted Chrome to survive the evening and tell him what happened to her. She was usually accompanied by Mukuro's two loyal henchmen, watching over Mukuro's 'body' and the lack of their presence was not a good sign.
She whimpered as he picked her up, instinctively burying her head into his chest, mumbling into it in Italian, only every 3rd word making any sense.
"Boss...danger...kuro-sa...fairy..." she struggled for a time before all life seemed to leave her and fell completely unconscious.
"Don't you dare die on me, stupid girl or I will kill you myself." Gokudera threatened her as he began to run through deserted streets and out of the way alleys, his groceries long forgotten by the dumpster.