80AN: Hi everyone! So, this was the previous CHAPTER 7 but, if you look at the previous chapters, I made a lot of edits, even though the story essentially is the same. Hopefully, the edits improve the story's quality. I'll post the new chapter soon!
Thank you for your support!
DISCLAIMER in CHAPTER 1
Previously…
Tsuna noticed odd people near him and his mother. As they were polite enough, he never called them out, but he suspected they were in league with his father. He also noticed another, more unsettling presence. Things culminate the night before the New Year, during the annual Festival. He meets a woman and, upon realising the danger his mother was in, went out to confront her alone.
Meanwhile, Kawahira is intrigued by the properties of the Flames his machine sensed. He proceeds to make plans to meet the owner of said Flames.
January 1, (Year Five)
New Year Festival Grounds, Namimori, Japan
Tsuna awoke to the sound of fireworks.
His eyes opened slowly and he blinked away the drowsiness that still lingered. Colours danced across his rounded features as the sky above him blazed and popped with vivid sparks. The acrid scent of smoke was like a jolt of caffeine to his senses.
"Tsu-kun?" A worried voice asked. "Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried when you fainted a while ago. Why didn't you tell me you were so tired? And what took you so long in the toilet?"
Tsuna's shoulders tensed as the memories assaulted his mind. His Watcher. The fire, after months of fruitless efforts, had finally surged out of his skin and…
… attacked… her…?
He was still confused about that. His fire never hurt him before so why did the woman scream as if she were in agonizing pain? Did something happen to her? Did he make something happen?
Something in his chest twisted at the possibility.
"Tsu-kun?"
Nana's voice made Tsuna snap out of his half-asleep thoughts and finally take in his surroundings. They sat on the grassy slope of a hill beneath the starry night sky that still exploded with fireworks. Tsuna realised that he laid against his mother's side as she gazed down at him in concern. He saw that there were more people by the foot of the hill but all their gazes were directed upwards. That made him look up as well and, for a moment, he let the beauty of the spectacle calm him, and allowed half-formed ideas of how he could recreate it in pencil numb his mind.
Nana smiled softly in spite of her concern as she realised that her son was still a little drowsy. "The fireworks are really pretty, ne?" She said as she threaded her fingers through her son's soft hair and massaged his scalp. Tsuna relaxed further at the treatment.
Time passed as the mother and son duo sat there, watched, and soaked in each other's comforting presence. However, despite the complacent atmosphere, the Feeling began to nag at Tsuna. It creeped into the back of his mind and the longer he stayed there, doing nothing, the greater it grew. It became as such that he began to twitch, began to feel his insides twist and his skin turn clammy. He squirmed and finally paid attention to the niggling Feeling. After a moment, he realised what exactly bothered him.
"… Mama?"
"Hm?"
"I-I… I forgot something… back in the s-sink. Can I go get it?" Tsuna requested. He looked up at his mother but curiously did not meet her eyes.
"Sink? You mean back at the outhouse?" Nana blinked when her son nodded and she pursed her lips. "What did you forget?"
"Th…The palette knife you bought me. So can I? Please?" He gave her the best puppy-dog eyes he could manage.
"Mmm… Okay," Nana managed to acquiesce uncertainly, unable to deny her only child what he wanted. "The outhouse is just on the other side of the Festival Grounds from here anyways. Do you want me to come with you?"
Tsuna shook his head rapidly. "No, no! I'll be fine. I can do it alone."
She was mildly hurt by the adamant rejection but that was overshadowed by the worry she felt. She already regretted that she had just allowed her four-year-old son to walk the grounds on his own. However, one look at his face and she knew he would not back down. That, and his odd behaviour, only cemented her decision, even though she did not understand what had come over her son. "Okay, then. But be quick about it, Tsu-kun. The fireworks are almost over and when they are we'll be going back home to get some sleep. We'll visit the temple later today or tomorrow."
'And anyways, most of the people at the Festival are either watching the fireworks or closing up their stands. Tsu-kun won't get into any trouble walking through it,' she reassured herself.
Tsuna nodded then scrambled up to his feet; he even kissed her on her cheek as he did. She smiled at him as he turned around to walk up the slope of the grassy hill just as another bright firework exploded above them. A sinister shade of red briefly illuminated the separating figures of the small family.
As Tsuna made his way through the Festival Grounds, his hand involuntarily went to the obi wrapped around his waist where he had previously tucked in his palette knife.
It was still there.
(*)
Namimori Eastern Forest
Tsuna had the inane thought that there was no difference between evening and midnight; both were equally dark. However, the emotions he felt when he re-entered the forest made everything different. Where before he felt resigned yet determined to meet his Watcher, he now felt apprehensive at the notion he would soon see the consequences of his actions.
'The fire couldn't have hurt her… It's never hurt me before… There's something very wrong about all of this…'
In the distance, the moon still shone and fireworks still exploded in the sky, but in here, both light and sound felt muted. The forest felt dead; no animals and no wind to move the vegetation. And with each step Tsuna took, it was as though he walked further into a world where laughter and lustre were the dream, and shadows and monsters the reality.
It did not take him long to find each of the trees he had marked.
'Just a quick look,' he promised himself. 'Then I'll run back to Mama, and never look back.'
The twist in his stomach made him feel like he was lying to himself. Still, he continued to walk. The darkness suffocated him and the shades casted on the ground made the path seem endless.
How long had he been in here?
Tsuna's foot hit something and he jumped and yelped. The sound of his surprised voice shortly broke the silence before it descended once again. He timidly looked down and saw… a phone.
His pulse picked up.
His Watcher's phone.
Tsuna bent down and picked it up. He weighed it in his hands, turned it this way and that in observation, and then flipped it open. Bright, fluorescent light illuminated the screen and keypad, and he had to blink at the sudden radiance. There was an unsent message on the screen, filled with unfamiliar characters that were too straight and repetitive to be Japanese.
Then, something flickered up ahead and caught his eye. When he squinted and took a few steps closer, he could almost make out something… orange. With his curiosity stronger than his trepidation, he stuffed the phone into the leather pouch where his palette knife laid and tucked it back into his obi. Then he moved ahead.
All the while, he ignored the fact that he moved deeper into the forest than he did before.
Tsuna noticed that, the closer he got, the more his surroundings brightened. He could feel a familiar warmth seep into his clothes and heat up his skin, as if a hug enveloped and comforted him. Then he broke through the trees and entered another clearing, larger than the one before but still small, and at the far end of it was the source of the warmth.
The Flames were beautiful.
The body anything but.
Tsuna felt numb.
The "body" was, in reality, nothing more than a lump of grey ashes, shaped into the figure of a woman. It lay sprawled on the ground, its mouth open in a soundless scream and its eye sockets as dark and empty as a cavern. The Flames caressed it slowly as though it savoured its fuel. It crackled on and on and on… careless of the fact that it devoured the life of a human being to feed its own existence.
It was grotesque.
It was sick.
Tsuna only felt numb.
He moved forward slowly, almost unconscious of every step he took, until he was right in front of it. With one quivering hand, he reached out to the fire, tense and ready to jerk away at a second's notice.
His hand felt warm, but it did not burn. When he receded it, the fire followed his hand, and embers licked across his palm and his fingers, like a loyal dog would towards its master.
That was all the confirmation he needed. The fire was his… and the body was his Watcher.
Tsuna bit his lip to cut off the sob that broke through his throat but could do nothing about the heat that built up in his eyes. It stared at him, its empty eye sockets stared at him accusingly, its mouth open and—
His hand seemed to move without his consent again as it began to tug off the sweater wrapped around his neck. With lifeless motions, he laid his sweater over the body's face.
The sweater began to burn too. How curious.
Tsuna's knees gave out and he landed on his backside. He pulled up his legs, wrapped his arms around them in an attempt to halt the tremors, and laid his chin on them. His face did not scrunch up, they remained smooth and still as stone even as his tears fell freely from his eyes, which were wide with shock. Only his lips, that quivered as he mouthed apology after apology, and his body, which shook so painfully, indicated at the true force of his misery.
He did not know how long he stayed there. Maybe an hour. Maybe more. The fire before him scorched his skin yet his insides felt empty. He felt empty of the warmth he had come to rely on.
He was so, so cold.
'What have I done?'
OMNISCIENCE
Arc I: Childhood Days
Chapter 4: Aftermath
"Killing is not so easy as the innocent believe." ~ J.K. Rowling
Early January
Sawada Household
Nana bit her lip as she faced the Chief of Police. Her eyes occasionally strayed to look across the room, where her son sat. Tsu-kun had not moved at all after she had set him down in front of his toys. He had been unresponsive for the past few days but he had still moved occasionally. Now, though, he simply sat and stared at the objects in front of him. It worried her because even though he looked at them she could not help but think that he did not see them. That what he saw was something else entirely…
"Sawada-san," the Chief called out to her gently from he sat across her. "I know you're worried about your son but I need to hear your statement on what happened that night."
"Oh, yes, of course." Nana was flustered at the fact that she had spaced out but her wariness overshadowed that. She shifted to a more comfortable sitting position. "I'm so sorry, Kusakabe-san, what… What would you like to know?"
The Chief of Police, Kusakabe Tetsuo, replied, "Anything you can tell me. Perhaps beginning with what your son was doing out in the forest alone?"
Nana chewed on her lip anxiously. "Tsu-kun wanted to go to the outhouse. I didn't see anything wrong with that so I let him go. But when the fireworks ended and he still hadn't come back, I…" Her hands shook as she remembered the panic she felt. "I got so worried. I went to the outhouse and when I couldn't find him, I ran all throughout the Festival Grounds calling for him, asking anyone still there if they saw him but—" She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut as her shoulders shook.
"Sawada-san?" Tetsuo asked in concern.
Neither of them noticed the slightest of tremors in Tsuna's body, as if he felt the same distress as his mother.
Nana took a deep breath and opened her eyes. They immediately searched for her son in the far corner of the room and the sight of him inside their house, safe and sound, reassured her. "I…I'm fine, Kusakabe-san. Where was I?"
"You said you searched everywhere for your son. I assume that was when you decided to call the police?"
"Y-Yes. Not long after I explained my situation to them, they had some people searching through the forest near the festival grounds. I followed them, of course. And when we found Tsu…-kun…" Her lower lip wobbled. She swallowed heavily and continued in a sorrowful whisper.
"Th-There wasn't much l-light but when we f-found Tsu-kun… h-he was sitting in front of a corpse," she choked out. "I-It was badly b-burnt and i-it smelled and it was still burning a-and Ts-Tsu-kun was just sitting there in front of it!" She sobbed and the tears she had held back finally fell from her eyes. She was hysterical. "Oh Kami-sama what if he saw the one who burned whoever that corpse was? What if—!" Nana hiccupped and dissolved into heart-breaking cries.
Neither of them noticed how Tsuna was suddenly as still as a statue.
Tetsuo was silent but sympathetic. He offered his handkerchief to Nana, which she accepted gratefully. Then he waited for her to calm down before he spoke.
"Unfortunately, we've hit a dead-end in identifying the body. I was hoping you would know something more that we could work with but it appears you're in the dark about this just as much as we are." The man visibly hesitated. "Has your son…?" He gestured in the boy's direction helplessly.
Nana pressed her lips together and shook her head slowly, morosely. "No. Tsu-kun…" She hiccupped, "hasn't said a word at all since that day…"
"I see," Tetsuo replied gravely.
"You really can't find anything?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Whoever was behind this was… very thorough," he grimaced.
"How terrible," she murmured, and her soft voice trembled. "Whoever could do such a thing is truly a…" She shakily took in a deep breath and choked back a sob, "a monster."
Neither of them noticed Tsuna flinch, as if his mother's words physically struck him.
"Is… Is that all, Kusakabe-san?"
"Yes. Thank you for your time." Tetsuo stood up and Nana followed suit. She offered the handkerchief back to him but the Chief politely declined and said that he had more.
"Sawada-san, if by chance you find out anything more about this case," his eyes flickered over to Tsuna before they returned to Nana, "may I request that you tell me immediately?"
"Yes, of course…"
Nana left the room to see the Police Officer out. Meanwhile, Tsuna continued to sit and stare at his toys blankly. He was tired… He was just so tired of the emotional rollercoaster the past few days had been and now… now that he heard that conversation…
He just wanted to go back to the time before that night. To the time before he—before he…
He just wanted to feel happy again.
"Monster… huh?"
"Mama?"
The soft, timid voice jolted Nana out of her thoughts. It was a voice she had not heard in what felt like a lifetime. She turned to the only other person in the room hesitantly and, with a voice full of fragile hope, replied with an equally soft, "Tsu-kun?"
Tsuna raised his arms and quietly asked, "Up?"
Nana hurriedly lifted her son and hugged him to her chest tightly. She rambled aloud joyfully, thanked whatever higher being came to mind, thanked anyone at all for the fact that her son finally said something to her after that traumatic day. "Oh, Tsu-kun, I was so worried, I thought you'd never speak again…"
Tsuna only wrapped his arms around his mother's shoulders and buried his face into her neck. "Sorry for worrying you," he mumbled.
"No Tsu-kun, it's alright, it's not your fault," she reassured him and pulled back so that her eyes could roam across his face freely. She looked at him as though she were seeing her son for the first time. "At any rate, what in the world were you doing in the forest in the first place?"
Tsuna opened his mouth to reply then froze. Just as abruptly, his eyes watered and his lips began to wobble. "I-I don't… remember… Mama..." He whimpered.
Nana deflated when she saw the obvious distress in her son. She brought him back into a tight hug and rubbed his back soothingly. "Shh, shh… It's okay now, Tsu-kun, it's okay. You're safe now; everything's fine, so you don't have to think about it anymore, okay?"
Tsuna buried his face into his mother's neck again and savoured the feeling of her fingers running through his hair. When he spoke next, Nana did not think about how her son's voice was already so steady despite how deeply distraught he sounded only moments ago, too surprised by his question.
He had asked her, "Mama, can people become monsters?"
Nana blinked. "Hm?"
"I heard you call… whoever did that… a monster… but what if it was a person? Can people become monsters?"
Nana pursed her lips. "I should have known you were listening," she mumbled, upset with herself that she had let her son listen in on a police interrogation even if he had only been there for her own comfort. When Tsuna said nothing more, she decided to answer his question honestly. "Yes, Tsu-kun. Anyone, even people like you and me, can become monsters."
He was silent for a long while, and just when she began to think he had fallen asleep, he continued the topic. "How?"
"How… what?"
"How do people become monsters?"
Nana opened her mouth and, once she realised she had no answer, closed it. She struggled to find a good response for her child and still be as honest as possible with him. She never thought that she would talk about something like this with her son when he was still so young.
"Mama," Tsuna mumbled, "it's okay if you don't have an answer. It's a stupid question anyways."
"No, Tsu-kun, that's not it and questions are never stupid, okay? You ask questions to learn new things and that is never stupid. I just…" Nana frowned as she looked around the room. Her eyes landed on a medium-sized statuette that depicted three monkeys in a row. Inspiration dawned on her as she remembered the old adage taught to her by her father, so she approached the figurine with her son still in her arms.
"Tsu-kun, look."
Tsuna turned to look at what his mother wanted him to see. "Monkeys?" He asked in confusion.
"Yes, monkeys," she huffed a tiny laugh. "Do you know what they stand for?"
Tsuna shook his head. Nana then pointed at each of the monkeys and explained what their actions, frozen in the woodwork, meant. "They're called the 'Three Wise Monkeys'. My Papa, your Grandpa, taught me about them. The first one is Mizaru-san—he teaches you to 'See No Evil'. The second one is Kikazaru-san; he teaches you to 'Hear No Evil'. The last one is Iwazaru-san and he teaches you to 'Speak No Evil'. Together, their lesson is that people should 'See No Evil', 'Hear No Evil', and 'Speak No Evil'. Do you understand so far?"
"Un, because Mizaru-san is covering his eyes so he can't see, Kikazaru-san is covering his ears so he can't hear, and Iwazaru-san is covering his mouth so he can't talk."
"Exactly. Now, you asked me how people can become monsters right? Well, these three little monkeys are the answer."
Tsuna tilted his head. "How?"
Nana smiled at him. "I guess we should start with the first phrase. 'See No Evil' means exactly as it says. Don't look at evil things, don't watch evil, don't become curious at the evil you see but, most importantly, don't let evil inside you."
"Why not?"
"Well, remember that time you drank rotten milk?"
Tsuna wrinkled his nose but nodded.
"And then you had a really bad tummy-ache later and couldn't leave the toilet for a while?"
He nodded again, face scrunched up in pain at the memory.
"It's the same thing. When you look at things, you absorb it. So when you look at evil, you let it inside you. Then, once something evil is inside you, it's like rotten milk. It has to come out because, if it doesn't, it will hurt you. But when you let evil inside you out, it can hurt others instead. At the same time, if you leave it inside you, evil might make you hurt others. So Mizaru-san is teaching you to 'See No Evil' so you don't end up doing evil things.
"Kikazaru-san is teaching the same thing with 'Hear No Evil'. When you hear someone say bad things, it sticks with you, and you find yourself needing to get rid of it, so you might end up saying bad things about others and end up hurting them. 'Hear No Evil' teaches you to not 'hear' the bad things so you don't do bad things. Many fights begin because of a rude interaction or more.
"Now, Iwazaru-san's 'Speak No Evil' is a bit different. 'Speak No Evil' is what happens when you 'See No Evil' and 'Hear No Evil', which means if you 'Speak No Evil' then there is no evil inside you. It doesn't just refer to what you say but also to what you do. Never say anything bad about others and never do anything bad to others either. That's what the Three Wise Monkeys represent. Do you understand?" Nana asked nervously and she wondered if she managed to explain it properly for someone her son's age.
Tsuna's face scrunched up again, but this time it appeared as though he was just trying to comprehend his mother's words to the best of his ability. "I… understand. But how do people become monsters?"
"Ah, right!" Nana could have hit herself; she completely forgot what she originally tried to explain. "Tsu-kun, people become monsters because they've seen and heard too much evil. It may be their fault, it may not be, but because they've experienced so much bad things in their lives, they end up doing those bad things as well. I guess you could say that what they've experienced became too much for them and the only way they feel they can… forget, or let all their pain out, is by hurting those around them."
"Seeing evil hurts?" Tsuna asked with painfully wide eyes.
"Yes. No matter what anyone says, evil acts towards others or yourself are painful things to experience. Because of that pain, people do bad things, like hurt others."
"So… So people aren't monsters?" The child asked and he sounded almost desperate.
"No," Nana answered with some confusion. "No, people can't naturally be monsters."
"Then… Then, what if… What if someone does something bad, and he—they didn't know it was bad, but they've never seen anyone do bad things or hear anyone do bad things. What does that… What does that make them? Are they a… a monster?"
Nana stayed silent and Tsuna tensed as he worried himself out of his mind. He worried that his mother despised him because she realised that he was the monster—the monster thatburned that woman to death. He did not think he would be able to handle that. He felt himself tear up and when Nana saw that, she hastened to say what was on her mind.
"Tsu-kun, let me be clear with you," she said with uncharacteristic seriousness on her face. "You will never be able to do something bad. Even with what you may have seen that night, even if you may not remember what happened, there is one thing you should never fear about becoming and that is becoming a monster. You should never be afraid of such a thing happening because it will never happen."
"H-How can you be so sure?" Tsuna hiccupped.
"Because I am Tsu-kun's Mama and I know him best, and I know Tsu-kun is a nice boy who would never hurt anyone. Monsters wouldn't feel pain when they see evil but Tsu-kun is a kind and sensitive boy that feels everything so deeply. He is a nice boy who feels what others feel and someone who can do that is 100% human. So long as they can still do such a thing, they could never be a monster!" Nana finished passionately. She rubbed noses with her son as she stared into his innocent eyes earnestly. "And I also know this for sure because Tsu-kun is not just my son, he is Papa's son as well. Your Papa is anything but a monster and Tsu-kun is very much like his Papa," she smiled.
Tsuna buried his face into his mother's neck once more, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Nana's smile softened as she returned the embrace.
She did not see how her son's eyes dimmed as he internalized everything his mother said.
'Papa this, Papa that. Why do you always bring him up? Why do you always say I'm like him?' Tsuna remembered a tall, blond man with a stupid smile on his face and the feeling of fear as he was tossed into the air. 'I'm nothing like him. Nothing.'
'Maybe I can feel what other people feel. Maybe I feel everything deeply. Maybe.
'And I was hurt when I saw what I did to that woman. But you're wrong about another thing, Mama. I remember that day and I remember that I… wanted to hurt that woman.
'She tried to hurt you, Mama, so I burned her. Because I love you. Because I want to protect you.
'And I was hurt when I saw what I did because I knew that woman must have been in a lot of pain. But I… I don't think I regret what I did. I know that if I had to do it again, then… I would. Over and over again, as many times as it would take, just to make sure you're safe.
'And I've seen and heard evil before, Mama. Remember that man with the gun on TV? He killed that other guy, right? And I killed someone too.
'I did something bad, Mama. And I wanted to do it. Just for you. Just to protect you.
'Monsters don't feel pain… I don't feel pain when I think about how I killed that woman, because if I hadn't then she would have killed you.
'But people feel pain, Mama… and it does hurt me that I made her suffer; it hurts when I think about how painful burns are and I'm sorry that I made her last moments hurt.
'So, Mama… I killed someone, even though I had no idea I was going to. And killing is bad, right? I did something bad.
'But I regret hurting her. I'm happy she's gone because now you're safe, but I didn't want to hurt her in the first place.
'I feel what both humans and monsters feel.
'So what am I, Mama?'
Every night since that day, Tsuna slept with an unspoken question in his mind.
'Mama, am I evil?'
Yamamoto Household
Takeshi's restlessness increased and he did not know why. It had been a week since the New Year and not once did he hear anything from Yoshi.
It was rare for them to hang out with each other because of Takeshi's new Baseball hobby. Yoshi was still shy around other people and he did not really like sports, which Takeshi did not mind since the new physical activities left him extremely exhausted most days. Like the I-am-about-to-fall-asleep-on-my-feet kind of exhausted.
So, he really did not mind Yoshi's penchant for silence. Takeshi found that Yoshi was the only friend that he could really relax around and Takeshi really loved it when they hung out. They did not need to talk much because, for some reason, just being around each other was always enough. Yoshi always seemed to know what he needed—whether it be that he needed someone to talk with or if he simply needed some peace and quiet to get his energy back—and he could not have been more grateful for the adorable boy's presence in his life.
Takeshi could not explain it in words, but when he was with his Baseball friends, he got tired of all the laughing and smiling quickly, but when he was around Yoshi… Well, even if they were not doing anything, he always felt like laughing and smiling with him. Things were always so easy with him.
'Hang on, maybe that's why I've been so bothered,' Takeshi thought. He had not seen Yoshi in a while. When he asked his parents if they could go visit them, they said that something came up and that Aunt Nana and Yoshi would not see anyone for a while. Nor would the Sawada's leave their house anytime soon. He was confused by that but his parents would not explain any further, so he just gave it up as a lost cause. Though it was also because he could see that his questions bothered his parents and he did not want to cause any trouble for them.
Still… Yoshi did not seem like the type of person to stop being friends with someone so suddenly, and for no reason. Then again, why else would Yoshi stop hanging out with Takeshi?
'Maybe it's because I haven't been a good friend to him…?' He thought and deflated. 'Come to think of it, he did say he's always thinking about me… and I am his only friend…'
Something that absolutely made no sense at all because Yoshi was nice, kind, sweet, and just plain old cool. He should have more friends but at the same time, Takeshi… Takeshi liked being Yoshi's only friend. It made him feel special.
'I guess I have to work harder at being friends with him… I'll be sure to when Mom and Dad give the 'Okay' and I can go see him again,' Takeshi nodded to himself determinedly. 'And I shouldn't be so selfish with him. I'll introduce my other friends to him as soon as possible. That way, we could all have fun together!'
A soft patter on the rooftop of his home broke Takeshi out of his thoughts. When he looked out the window, he saw that it had begun to drizzle, and he felt himself smile a little.
His first thought was, 'Mom and Dad love the rain.' His next was a decisive, 'I like it too,' and his last thought was an admittance.
'But I love it even more when the skies are clear.'
[Location Unknown], Italy
The man called that annoying woman's phone and was promptly pissed that it directly sent him to voice mail. Again.
"Listen, you bitch," he cursed her in his slightly accented Japanese, "I don't pay you to lay on your ass and do nothing. It's been more than a week since you promised to deliver the boy to me and you are trying my patience," he hissed.
"If you killed the little piece of shit then at least fucking report it to me. If you have then I want you back in Italy immediately, no point in being in Japan if the target's dead. Furthermore, if you don't reply within three days I'm going to assume that something happened and I'll be sending another hitman to either assist you or finish you off. Depends on what shit you got yourself into and whether or not you're worth it.
"And don't fucking think I'm bluffing because I've got the backing of the Estraneo. They're planning some pretty big things and they could use some more trash to experiment on. Isn't that a great idea? You know, instead of having you killed I think I'll hand you over to them.
"But if you don't want that to happen, then you better have a damn good reason for ignoring me. And you'd better give me good news when your mission is done. If not, well… There's really no loss on my part," he finished coldly and hung up.
The man's companion, who stood beside him, gave him an odd smile. He had cold blue eyes set in what could have been a handsome face had they not been twisted with cruelty. "Fu… You are quite unforgiving when it comes to your subordinates, aren't you?"
The man shrugged. "If they can't do their job properly, they don't deserve to live," he replied smoothly and then smirked. "The Mafia isn't for pussies."
The other hummed. "Ah, yes, I suppose so… but what makes you, the boss of a fallen Famiglia, any different from those you treat as beneath you?" He mocked.
The man bristled. "Mock me all you want, but you're no better off. You're just a lowly scientist of a dead Famiglia trying to scrape his way back into the scum of society."
Blue eyes narrowed and sharpened as both men attempted to stare each other down. Then a group of children, most barely ten years of age, entered the room, and the two men turned their attention to the newcomers. They watched as another group, this one comprised of men and women in lab coats, followed after the children. That was when the man noticed one quiet child who bore a striking resemblance to the person beside him.
"Hang on, is that kid…"
"Yes, he is mine," the other replied, his tone unaffected and his posture undisturbed from its languid stance.
The man raised a brow and was unwillingly impressed. "You've got balls, I guess. Most Mafia-made men wouldn't even dare to have their children undergo experiments that could cost them their lives."
The other smirked. "My son simply happens to be the most compatible with the most dangerous experiment we are planning. It is an honour to have one of my own become part of what could possibly be the resurrection of my Famiglia. And as you said," his eyes turned glacier, "the Mafia isn't for pussies."
Neither of them noticed that a pair of indigo eyes, wide with naivety, had watched them and had listened in on their conversation in curiosity.
Sawada Household
Tsuna's hands barely shook as he listened to the voice mail again. The message was filled with vulgarity he was unused to and the way the man spoke Japanese made his words difficult to understand, but Tsuna still got the gist of it.
"—want you back in Italy immediately—"
Italy? Where was Italy? What was "Es-tra-nay-o"? What did he mean by "experiment"? What was all that stuff about handing someone over to them?
As confusing as the whole message was, he was sure of a few things.
One: The man who called either wanted him brought to wherever "Italy" was… or killed.
Two: The message was for his Watcher.
Three: Someone else like his Watcher was coming for him and his Mama.
He played the voice mail again.
"—sending another hitman to—"
The message was suddenly cut off and when Tsuna checked the phone, he realized that its battery had died. Disappointed, he flipped the phone shut and glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was early but his Mama should be up by now, and he did not want her to see him with a phone or else she would ask where he got it, and he was not confident enough (or even ready) to lie to his mother again.
He stared at the innocuous object in his hands with mixed emotions. On one hand, it belonged to his Watcher. She had used this phone and probably used it to have similar, disgusting conversations with the man on the other end. Maybe the man even ordered his Mama's elimination to his Watcher over this phone. The thought repulsed him and made him want to throw the thing at a wall.
On another hand, this was his only proof that that night was real, that he had actually done all that. It was a reminder that he had killed someone because he wanted to protect his mother, and that he would do it again if he had to. And the phone had helped forewarn him that someone else was coming for him and his mother.
The man said three days. Tsuna needed to figure something out within that period.
He observed the phone in his hands critically.
'I'll keep it,' he decided. The phone itself had not done anything to him and it had helped him. It was his now and he would take good care of it.
He may just be a kid but he quickly realised there was little he would not do for his mother. For her safety, for her life… he would do anything. He did not like it, he did not want to kill anyone… but if it was a choice between his mother and the one out to get her… then there was no need to hesitate. His choice was made without a second thought.
Or rather, it was not a choice at all.
He never wanted this, but if push came to shove then he was determined to go through with it.
His fire burned with his resolution.
"Sometimes, I'm the mess. Sometimes, I'm the broom. On the hardest days, I have to be both." ~ Rudy Francisco