Hey folks, Nain Tarlow here
So, it's been a while? Honestly, more than a year since I first posted a chapter which had been sitting at my hard drive for a whole, so I doubt anyone remembers it. Still, the initial reactions to the fic, it blew my mind, so I hope at least some of you are still around and interested.
I have no excuse, other than life and shenanigans, but I do feel a bit sorry for not working on this story more. I make no promises, but I will try for the next chapter to come out before we hit 2024. Here is hoping.
Not much else to say. This chapter gives a little bit of insight to Tsuna and his friends lives in Kuoh, focusing on everyone's favorite CEDEF agent (Lal doesn't count she is too awesome to begin with). I did have a lot of fun with his perspective, as well, showing the relationship at the newly erected Sawada household in Kuoh.
If you can forgive my lateness and sporadic schedule, do consider sharing your thoughts. I always love to hear how my ideas come across, and I appreciate every feedback
Onto the story
Chapter 2 A peaceful morning in the life of Basilicum
"Tsuna! It's time to get ready for school." Basil said as he stepped through the door of Tsuna's room without the slightest hesitation, fighting through a yawn as he did so.
No person was absolutely perfect. A person was bound to pick up a vice or two during their lives. What mattered was for them to know when to indulge in them and to what extent. These were the words of his teacher, very early in Basil's training. And while he took them to heart, privately he was also sure that this was nothing but an excuse for Iemitsu to dump his paperwork on his subordinates as he disappeared, citing various reasons.
He wouldn't exactly call it a vice, but if he had to point out a bad habit of his, Basil would say that he preferred sleeping in whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Of course, during his apprenticeship at CEDEF there were very few opportunities to indulge that habit and he didn't let it affect his performance and abilities but on the rare chances, he enjoyed it to the best of his ability. One might say that coming to Kuoh as the boss's assistant and advisor was a blessing in disguise, allowing him to indulge in this habit a bit more frequently.
Even then, he was careful not to get too indulgent, particularly because he feared Lal Mirch showing up out of nowhere and making an example of his 'lazy ass'. The other reason for this moderation was of course Tsuna himself.
From the outside his bipolar boss had a perfect attendance record, always among the first to be at school, overseeing the morning preparations and morning club practices, etc. In truth, it was a struggle almost every day to force Tsuna to leave his room, either because he was currently gaming or going into one of his more withdrawn moods. And while he could have sent Chrome or Kyoko to wake him up, and he did do it on occasion, most of the time, the duty of waking the boss up was left to him.
That was because both Chrome and Kyoko were more than vulnerable to the boss's strongest weapon, the one that managed to break the resolve of even the toughest and most hardened criminals. And knowing how stubborn Tsuna could be, Basil had a legitimate reason to fear that he wouldn't hesitate using it on the two young girls if it came down to it.
Honey-brown puppy eyes, Vongola edition. Legend has it, not even Nono could say no to those eyes, though how true it was, was up for debate.
It was certainly an exaggeration but it was nonetheless true that Tsuna managed to squirm his way out of his work a few times by being overly cute. It was especially useful against women but he also saw grown men squeal at the sight, so it was not exclusive to them. As one of the few with the iron will say no to Tsuna, regardless of circumstances, most of the time it was left to him to wake the young boss.
As usual, Basil got ready for the day, making sure that his uniform was in perfect order, going through his morning dose of paperwork, prioritizing those with more urgency, and making sure that all of his hidden weapons were in perfect working order. All of that, not long after the first rays of sunshine reached their modest household.
With all his preparations done, Basil left for Tsuna's room, as usual, internally getting ready for the daily battle that was coaxing his boss away from his beloved video games.
That process either went smoothly with little fussing from his charge or could even get to a full-blown fight, depending on Tsuna's mood. Or if one of his games received an update. Those days were always an uphill battle for poor Basil.
Reaching his room, the young hitman steeled himself. He didn't even bother knocking, knowing full well even if Tsuna were to be awake, he wouldn't answer him, it took him a while but he grew out of the habit to try and let Tsuna come out himself, rather than saving the headache for himself and rudely barged in as a start. True, it might end up with random objects thrown at him but at least it was an excuse to train his skills at evasion.
Strong were the coping skills of the soon-to-be external advisor of the Vongola.
"Tsuna-dono, it's time to wake…up." his guard was at an all-time high as he entered the room, vigilant for the smallest moments to indicate a retaliation of any kind, due to Reborn's training, Tsuna had ample ideas on how to stop people from bothering him.
So consider him surprised when all that greeted him was an unusually tidy and empty room. There were no clothes or bags containing half-eaten fast food thrown into the corner, no empty dishes on the table, trying to blend into the enormous amount of paperwork that is usually gathered on his desk.
It was as if he stepped into somebody else's room, somebody who actually bothered to keep things neat and tidy. And that person was certainly not Sawada Tsunayoshi.
More worrying was the lack of said boss in the room. Every once in a while, Tsuna would clean up his room, but it was a very, very rare occurrence. And usually not something that wasn't prompted by an external factor, someone like Nono or Reborn coming to visit, neither of whom was anywhere near Japan, to his knowledge.
Could it have been an abduction? His mind came up with the next possible explanation, his eyes scanning the surroundings carefully, his training as a hitman coming in handy. There was no evidence of a struggle or any kind of damage that could have been a telling of Tsuna under an attack. No, as soon as the thought came it was discarded.
Tsuna, despite outside appearances, was a fearsome combatant, and thanks to his intuition it would all but impossible to catch him off-guard. So if he was attacked, there was no way he wouldn't find back but that was only concerning the convenient methods he knew.
Stepping into the room properly, Basil inadvertently made a face as a strange taste entered his mouth. It was neither sweet nor sour, it was just alien like it didn't belong there, with a hint of salt interestingly enough.
It didn't remind him of anything exactly, just carried that feeling of not belonging, especially as he did not eat or drink anything since waking up. But as he pondered the sensation a memory unbidden rose up.
"All of this magic, all these ways they can bypass security. It's a nightmare to properly outfit the mansion." Basil, in one of the rare times, found himself grumbling just as he started handling another long pile of papers, about setting up contracts with some 'free' magician to help update their future home's security and his head was already throbbing."From what I read, it can even surpass mist flames in capable enough hands. We could already be infiltrated or an ambush set up, and we wouldn't know it."
"You are way too paranoid and cautious," Tsuna commented with a lazy laugh, not even looking up from his game as he sat on the couch, uncaring that Basil was apparently doing his paperwork.
In response, the young teen sent an uncharacteristically annoyed glare at his boss, which of course went ignored. In his defense, he had a particularly stressful week, trying to set up everything for Tsuna and those who came with him to go to school without any problems, security as well as having to go back to Italy to stop Mukuro and Hibari from destroying another historical monument in the name of a spar. He clearly had enough and didn't need this.
"I am not paranoid,Tsuna-dono. These are perfectly valid and logical concerns. One of my main duties is to guard and assist you while you integrate into this city. It is dangerous enough without proper allies we can trust, without dealing with a dangerous variable that we cannot foresee and prepare for, nor is it detectable at all. We-" whatever he might have said was cut off, as Tsuna stopped him with the same calmness.
"It is not undetectable."
"What?" The young Italian parroted back with a dumbfounded expression, completely losing his earlier stream.
The coming-up Mafia boss frowned slightly in contemplation, his expression similar to one biting into a lemon and finding it sour. It was an expression he was familiar with. Tsuna always made this face when he tried to explain something that to him felt almost natural, carefully considering his words as he tried to articulate something he instinctively knew. Most of the time, it was related to the fabled Vongola Hyper Intuition and his ability to see the truth beneath what was presented.
So with that, he bit back his frustration and waited for Tsuna to explain.
"Reborn and the others had similar concerns, so we looked into it." he started, pointing out something obvious that Basil should have realized already.
Of course, Reborn would have made sure there were no unknown variables in the protection of Tsuna in his new Kuoh base. He felt a bit silly for doubting the man and the various other, more experienced members, and his shoulders almost instantly snagged in relief. Though he felt a bit irked at being kept out of the loop.
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Tsuna sent him a small, apologetic smile before his face turned serious once more.
"We talked with Nonna and looked into it from our side as well. While generally, magic is hard to detect to normal people, it is not impossible." his frown deepened as he once again fumbled a bit with his words."Most magics, and the logistics of how many kinds of magic there are, are migraine-inducing enough, leaving behind some kind of residue, you might call it. People who have some sort of affinity for magic can pick up on it, albeit faintly. As I'm told, most people 'sense' it with one of the five senses. Gokudera for example sees it as shades of color, while Yamamoto says he kind of hears a low sort of vibration. I, on the other hand, sense it more akin to a smell."
"Smell?" Basil repeated with a vacant expression, feeling even more lost.
Basil was by no means stupid. Sure, his worldly knowledge, regarding Japan, and civilian life, in general, was more than full of holes, but most of his teachings focused on combat, espionage, and other similar skills, Actually, he had a rather high IQ, which was an immense help for 'filling' said holes as situations demanded it.
Yet it didn't help him now, making him feel quite stupid and confused. Tsuna seemed to understand his confusion because he winced, scratching the back of his head nervously.
"Please don't get me into the technicalities, because even I don't understand that. Bottom line is, people with an affinity for magic or the supernatural in general can develop the ability to faintly sense the residue left by magic. It is by no means infallible, but it's better than nothing. According to Nonna, for dying will users the process is much easier to learn, though making sense of it, still depends on the individual's 'synchronization rate'." he explained, adding much-needed quotation marks to the last words with his fingers.
"I see," Basil replied, even though he really didn't, not at the time.
But eventually, with much-needed training and very frustrating late-night sessions with the few magic users who worked for the Vongola, he eventually got it. He developed a certain sense to feel magic around him, and though it was nowhere foolproof, just like Tsuna had said, it went a long way to assuage his fears. Though he could have done without the teasing from some of his coworkers from CEDEF, over developing his magic sense through taste of all things.
And right now, that talent served him well.
Basil's frown deepened as instead of focusing on the outside, his attention turned inward. With his mind cleared, he was able to pay better attention to what his senses were trying to tell him, allowing him to waste no more moments.
The curious mix of spicy and sour entered his mouth and Basil had to fight the urge to cough from the sudden, intense taste. It wasn't a well-known fact but he preferred his meals as bland as possible, the intense extremes not particularly agreeing with his stomach and tongue. Even the slightly exotic Japanese foods were too much for his tastes.
Quietly banishing the thought, Basil absently ran his tongue over his teeth, trying to savor and explore the taste with more detail. There was a hint of mint there, a taste he usually associated with teleportation magics. Devil's teleportation to be exact, his mind supplied through his limited experience.
"Of course, it would be devils," he muttered with a frown, already getting bad feelings.
The signs of teleportation magic as well as the absence of his boss, made his mind instantly jump to a conclusion. While they had some moderate defenses set up in case someone tried to force their way in through magic, it wasn't infallible. Even then, at least they should have been given some notice.
Except devil magic was notoriously tricky, what with the ability to undermine defenses with their summoning circles which they have away like scraps of paper or even the more outrageous methods some of the noble families used, allegedly. That's why he hated dealing with magic, there were too many unknowns.
The objective hadn't changed though. He had to find his boss and quickly, Basil thought with his lips forming a thin, angry line as he whirled around and basically jumped down from the first floor, taking off toward the living room, barely remembering to use doors instead of throwing himself out of the nearest window.
His mind was already considering every possibility. Their resources in Kuoh were limited at the moment, due to the various agreements and deals still in the process of working out, any aid or reinforcement would take too much time to get here. Time, they did not have, if his suspicions were correct.
He had to get in contact with the Devils, the Gremorys, and the Sitris. Either they were the ones responsible or they had better methods to track said teleportation, though as much as he wanted to rush into school and demand their cooperation, he had to be more tactful than that. In a negotiation like that, the last thing he could do was appear weak or desperate.
He ran through the living room, barely registering to dodge a surprised Haru who seemed to be trying to get him, his mind still stuck on what he could offer as a trade for the devil's help. His resources were limited at the moment but he also knew whatever promises he made, the devils would make him see through them.
"Hahi?!" the young girl let out a shocked cry as he almost barreled into her, looking after him with a mix of outrage and shock. "Basil-san you of all people should know better than to run inside the house." she yelled after him but her words found deaf ears, as Basil already was at the other end of the living room.
While he would have preferred to leave the house at once and without delay, he turned toward the dining room, intent to inform Chrome. While the Mist Guardian was still shy and uncertain at times, in the current situation, she was his best and only ally.
"Chrome, it's a code burgundy. The boss is missing, possible devil involvement. I need you to inform HQ while I go-" he started on a rapid babble as he grasped into the door frame, leaning into the room, his wide eyes roaming blindly, not really taking in the picture of him before a rude voice interrupted him.
"What are you doing? It's too early for you to shout like a lunatic." Tsuna drawled as he sent an unimpressed look to his second in command, leisurely picking up a piece of toast.
Shock and relief hit Basil at the same time, leaving his knees weak. Before he even realized it, his grip on the doorframe slackened and he simply collapsed in the door, like a puppet cut off its string, yet his eyes never left his boss.
"Basil! Are you alright?" Kyoko, who was working at the stove, let out a worried shout as she hurried over to his side but Basil could barely even acknowledge her.
His eyes remained fixed on Tsuna, who for once looked presentable, hair combed, as much as his ever so willful hair let it, already in uniform and calmly eating breakfast. Anyone would save him, they would instantly recognize the stiff and intimidating president of the disciplinary committee. A far cry from the usual sloppy, slouched and tried form of Tsuna that greeted him on most mornings.
Yet it was undoubtedly the man, instead of an impostor or illusion. There was something indescribable in his presence, a small note that made him undeniably Tsuna. And that feeling alone was enough for Basil's tense body to relax slightly, even as his mind whirled with a new host of questions.
With shaky legs, he stood up, barely able to remember his manners and reassure Kyoko, before turning to stare back at the mafia don.
"Tsu-Tsuna-san?" he stuttered in shock, still trying to accept the reality in front of him, while simultaneously checking if what he was facing wasn't an illusion or an impostor. "But I thought….you weren't in your room and there were traces of devil ma-" was as far as he got before he was unceremoniously cut off once again.
"You do know that I am capable of waking up early, even if it's not my preference." Tsuna drawled on lazily but his eyes were sharp and piercing as he stared down at Basil."Instead of jumping to stupid conclusions, sit down and have breakfast. We, after all, have an early day, due to our meeting with the student council."
Basil opened his mouth, a protest ready on his tongue. After all, they didn't have a meeting in the morning, especially not with the student council. He should know, he was the one scheduling Tsuna's time concerning various school and mafia activities. He was ready to point it out but he soon swallowed it, properly taking in his boss' state.
His eyes were tense and wary, the eyes Tsuna usually had after a battle or particularly vicious training session. His lips were formed into a thin line, from the way his face twitched slightly it took almost everything of him to not make any faces. His shoulders were set, alert and he didn't allow his hands to be idle. If he was not using them to eat, he was drumming some nonsense rhythm. It wasn't noticeable to many people, the alertness and tenseness can be written off as simply annoyance at having to wake up early.
Basil wasn't just anyone though. He was raised to pick up subtleties of body language, the hidden meanings in other people's words and he understood almost immediately. Whatever happened, it seemed to have caused enough concern in his boss to slip into his 'disciplinary committee president' persona.
It also didn't take a genius to see why he was reluctant to talk at the moment. While Haru and Kyoko were aware of the mafia, Tsuna's and his friends' role in it, as well as a few recent developments, the mafia boss was adamant that they keep them safe and away from the more dangerous elements. A notion most of his guardians, and even Basil could support wholeheartedly.
"Ah yes, the meeting. I completely forgot about it." Basil laughed sheepishly and tried not to cringe at how fake it sounded to him. "How irresponsible of me." he added when he caught Kyoko looking at him oddly.
Thankfully his rescuer came just in time.
"Honestly Basil-kun, you really should take some time off. One of those days, you are going to overwork yourself." Haru commented in a huff as she walked into the room, looking a bit frazzled from Basil almost bowling into her.
Feeling his ears reddening slightly at embarrassment, he could only nod silently as he carefully walked over to the table, taking a seat, trying not to meet anyone's eyes. Until he saw Haru turn around and jab her finger at Tsuna accusingly.
"And you! You can't let poor Basil take your share of the work all the time. As his boss, you should provide a good example, instead of slacking off and playing games all the time." She passionately exclaimed, going as far as to walk up to him and jab his shoulder with a pout on her face.
Seeing the upcoming leader of the mafia getting lectured like a little kid by a girl a head shorter than he was strangely amusing. Basil felt a snort bubbling up his throat and it took all his willpower to keep it down. Similarly, Kyoko seemed to fight a smile of her own but she at least was polite enough to turn away and hide it behind her hand.
Tsuna didn't answer at first, giving a slow, almost catlike blink as he stared at Haru. While a far cry from the nervous and fearful reactions of his younger self, it was clear he still had trouble dealing with Haru's headstrong nature outside of business-related settings or combat situations.
"Noted," he answered in the end with a blank tone, neither agreeing or disagreeing with the young girl. Though Basil spotted his eyes slide toward him slightly, a small twinge of guilt in them.
And that in turn raised his own guilt. Haru and Kyoko were unaware of the many burdens weighing on the young boss to be, the expectations as well as rivals looking for a weak spot. Tsuna was already responsible for many things in the background, as well as keeping in check many troublesome factors. And in the end, he was still a young man thrust into a life he never wanted.
He might have accepted and embraced his role but he never wanted it.
That's why he never raised any serious complaints about pushing his paperwork onto him, why he and others allowed these small indulgences, small acts of freedom and rebellion. Because he was their boss, their sky and they were always there for him. Without question, without hesitation.
He opened his mouth, trying to calm Haru down and reassure Tsuna but once again he was beaten to the punch.
"Haru-chan, Boss is already working hard as it is, especially with the new term starting at school and having to teach the first years how to behave." Chrome, who he belatedly noticed was standing just behind Tsuna's shoulder the entire time, spoke up, an uncharacteristically hard glint in her single eye."Not to mention, organizing the various requests going to and from the clubs and the student council. And if Basil ever felt he had too much, I believe he could have gone to Boss about it any time."
Letting out a slightly displeased sound, the illusionist turned away, walking over the counter, her steps purposeful and strong. Thanks to that, she missed the rest of the room occupants looking at her with mouths agape, as if it was the first time they ever saw the girl.
While over the years, she became more sociable and open to those closest to her, it was still a surprise to see the iron will beneath her kind and shy personality, to all of them. Much to a certain illusionist's amusement who greatly savored whenever his 'little Chrome' showed her fangs.
Tsuna was the first one to put on a more normal expression, though for him it meant a painfully obvious neutral expression, just in time for Chrome to turn back and place a cup of coffee in front of him.
"Here you go, Boss." She said with a cheer as she gave him the hot beverage, the nostalgic aroma of the espresso hitting Basil instantly.
While Tsuna of a few years ago couldn't even stand the smell of Coffee, it soon became a regular part of his routine, usually espresso. Just another example of how Reborn left his mark on every aspect of his life.
"Thank you." Tsuna accepted it, with the barest dip of his head, before turning back to his breakfast with a single-minded focus, his turning somewhere far away now that this little 'drama' has ended.
Thanks to that, he missed Chrome turning into an impressive shade of red, doing a cute, happy little dance that was basically just her body moving side to side in a strange manner. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted Kyoko smile fondly at the usually shy girl, before bringing the rest of their breakfast to the table, making sure to do it with as much noise as possible.
"Eat up, everybody," she exclaimed with her signature cheerfulness.
Without another word, everyone obediently dug in, Chrome taking her dutiful seat next to Tsuna, though she made sure to keep a respectful distance, her cheeks still having a pink hue. The only one who was yet to touch their food was Basil.
His head was still heavy with the whirlwind of morning. Tsuna's strange actions, his worry of him being abducted, the mystery of devil involvement. But went even beyond that. With the exception of Chrome, Tsuna had none of his guardians in the vicinity, all of them busy with various duties, missions and ambitions. That left the responsibility of looking after, defending and supporting Tsuna almost entirely to Basil. Which became a bit too much at times.
No offense to Chrome. She became a wonderful warrior and illusionist in a few short years but she still too easily fell blindly into following Tsuna or trying to please him, instead of putting her foot down when it comes to their Boss's stubbornness.
Add in a whole new side of the world that only recently he became aware of, and sometimes Basil felt like he was boxed in in a small room, with what precious air he left running out any second. None of his training made him ready for it and sometimes all he could do was to keep it together, for everyone's sake.
Most days, it was easy to fool himself and others. Most days it really felt like he was an ordinary high schooler, with simply more unique after-school activities than most. It was the charm of this little, otherwise unremarkable town he supposed, and the safe orderly chaos that school represented.
His head was still swimming, trying to figure out what had his boss so spooked with the scant few clues. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Chrome being similarly tense, keeping a subtle eye on Tsuna but dismissed it.
Probably she only knew something was amiss, yet trusted him to tell her if it became important. Which was not a surprise. Tsuna had a tendency to keep his cards close to his chest until it became important. Once again, Reborn's influence, no doubt.
"Don't just stare at it and eat." Tsuna, in his usual borderline annoyed monotone, managed to snap him out of his thoughts, his head almost snapping as he quickly raised it.
"Huh?" he asked, none too intelligently, which thankfully was not mentioned by anyone.
"Hurry up and eat. We won't have much time in the morning or between classes today, so until lunch break, it will have to do. And none of us want to be late, because you decided to stare at the table with a half-dead look on your face." he warned, the threat not obvious or serious at all in his voice but it was enough for Basil to instinctively straighten up.
Then their met and the concern and worry Tsuna had in his own was
unmissable. With a shaky grin, Basil nodded and attacked his own plate, realizing suddenly just how hungry he was.
They didn't talk during breakfast unlike most mornings, the civilians in their group sensing something was amiss, yet unable to question the budding crime lord and his underlings. That didn't stop them from uneasily trading glances with each other, something Tsuna noticed by the tenseness in his shoulders.
Before long, Kyoko stood up to collect their plates, Chrome offering to help wash them while Haru nursed a cup of tea with a content look on her face.
Catching Tsuna's eyes, Basil nodded almost imperceptibly, standing up swiftly and sending the girls a hopefully bright smile.
"It was delicious as always but we must be on our way. Don't want to keep Sitori-san waiting,"
Without a word, Tsuna did the same, his jacket pulled over his shoulders in an eerily similar way to one Hibari Kyoya. Reaching down, he also picked up his bag, as well as Basil's, and a moment later he was leading the way out.
Yet, for some reason, he stopped by the doorframe and looked back at the girls who were busying themselves and did their best not to meet his eyes.
"You are welcome to join us for lunch in the club room. We might be a little preoccupied with the latest batch of paperwork, but I will try to set some time aside." He offered softly, his voice barely a whisper, yet his face showed no emotion save for the tightening of his eyes.
His answer came immediately in the form of two blinding smiles and a smaller but hopeful one, accompanied by soft cheering from the excited girls. In response, Tsuna relaxed, the shadow in his eyes disappearing as he started to leave. On his face was a barely noticeable smile, that even Basil almost missed.
It reminded him of the easier times before Tsuna was swamped with so many duties and burdens, where he still believed that his life won't be ruled by his inherited position. When it was still fun and games, their dark reality hadn't kicked in.
These days it felt like a lifetime ago.
The two leaders of the disciplinary committee left without another word, neither in a hurry to talk as they walked through the empty, chilly streets of Kuoh, Basil taking up a respectful two steps of distance behind Tsuna, out of pure habit. While their home was close to the school, it still had enough distance for a morning walk, allowing them to clear their heads and discuss their mafia-related activities away from prying ears.
Neither said anything though so far, enjoying the companionable silence. Now that the initial worry and panic subsided, Basil was more than content to allow his boss to share things at his own pace. Knowing him, he was already contemplating how to address the issue, though judging by his calmness, it wasn't a grave or at least urgent matter.
Then, the two of them stopped at the side of a sidewalk, the light in front of them turning to red and he felt the air subtly shift around them. The roads were empty and there were no people around them since it was early enough that the sun barely rose above the horizon. People who were out around at this time were already getting ready for their businesses or were just in the process of getting their first cup of coffee, offering them privacy despite the open space.
There was a chance that someone could spy and listen in through traffic cameras but both the hidden rulers of Kuoh as well as their side went to great lengths to ensure it didn't happen.
"Boss?" he called out to him, instinct and habit making him keep his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes subtly surveying their surroundings.
"Nonna contacted me last night." the words were short and crisp, but they explained everything.
The evidence of the devil's magic in his room, his early wakening, and tenseness. But instead of calming Basil down, the news caused Basil to curse under his breath, in a rare loss of self-control.
"Various players are starting to move. And like it or not, this place is gonna be the epicenter of many of those ploys." Tsuna said, angling his body slightly toward Basil, one eye staring down at him.
The pupil was bright orange, reminiscent of a flame, especially as the colors slightly shifted as if inside them there was a literal firestorm. In contrast, the glare in his eye was enough to stop people's blood cold, and even Basil felt cold sweat slightly break out, despite knowing very well that the glare was not directed at him.
"We will be ready." was all he said, his solemn vow and promise, telling more than any speech.
Tsuna said nothing in response, only turning back forward, just as the light turned green. The two resumed their walk, their faces grim, minds already busy planning, ready to weather the storm that was coming.
These peaceful days, he is sure gonna miss them, Basil thought a bit morosely.