Chapter Six

Hostage!

Lunchtime at Namimori Sr. High was not that much different than it was at Namimori Jr. High, as Kiyohiko had relished in discovering. He still was able to sneak around the school and eat wherever he pleased; thanking his lucky stars the Disciplinary Committee was nothing to worry about without a Hibari clansman in their ranks. Ever since school had started, Kiyohiko had taken to eating on the rooftop. It was spacious and for the most part fairly quiet, which perfectly suited his desire for personal space and alone time. It had not been long though before the rest of the gang caught up to him and Kiyohiko found himself in the middle of chaos once again.

“I don’t know why you keep on trying to avoid us,” Masaru said, ripping open the wrapper for his melon roll. Damiano and Haruhi had not come up to the roof yet, so it was just the two cousins. “It’s like now that you’re in high school, you’re too good or something extremely rude like that.”

“Trust me Masaru-nii, that’s not it at all,” Kiyohiko explained. He raised an eyebrow at his cousin’s questionable choice in food. Kiyohiko had been packing himself a bento lunchbox to school as long as he had been living in Japan, yet he could not understand how Masaru insisted on forgoing the homemade lunches in lieu of melon rolls and bags of potato crisps instead.

“Well then, what is it?”

“It’s just that with all the stuff that’s been going on,” Kiyohiko explained, “I’ve been feeling a little crowded lately. It must be puberty or something acting up.”

“Okay,” Masaru agreed, completely dropping the topic. He tore a large chunk off his roll with his teeth and changed the subject. “So how’s your training been going with Reborn?”

“Not good,” Kiyohiko frowned. “So far, all he has me doing is a lot of running and pushups and things like that. I feel more like I’m in boot camp than training for anything else. He says it’s to get me in shape, but something tells me he’s just sadistic.”

“Hmm… that extremely sucks. Oi! Haruhi! Damiano! Over here!”

Kiyohiko glanced over his shoulder to see the missing two members of their troupe come wandering over from the staircase. Damiano and Haruhi joined the cousins and cracked open their own lunches.

“Guess what!” Haruhi grinned as she opened her bento. “Damiano-kun made me this! Isn’t that nice of him? I had been planning on getting some noodles at the cafeteria, but this definitely works instead!”

Kiyohiko and Masaru both looked at Damiano with the same unimpressed expression, causing the boy to flush a furiously deep shade of red and advert his eyes. They knew that even though Haruhi was oblivious to the gesture, the males present had a clue as to the half-Japanese’s motives.

“Isn’t it a beautiful day?” the embarrassed teen asked, trying to change the subject. “I think the weatherman was lying on the television this morning when he forecasted rain for this afternoon.”

“Yes,” Kiyohiko said, going along with Damiano. “It’s such a beautiful day that it makes me think things are at least halfway normal sometimes.”

“You just need to think positive more,” Haruhi said through a mouthful of rice. “You’ve been such a sourpuss the past few weeks that I have wanted to beat you absolutely senseless with a Happy Stick or something.”

“The very thought of that frightens me,” Kiyohiko said blandly. He had a feeling if the perpetually smiling girl were ever good on her threats, he would probably have a sore spot from being beaten constantly with an inflatable bat. Haruhi continued consuming her food at a near breakneck speed and ignored the retort from her friend.

“So, have you talked at all to Reborn today, Don Yohi?” Damiano asked. Kiyohiko shook his head.

“I haven’t, which is beginning to weird me out. The last I saw him was at bedtime last night when he pitched that hammock in my room for himself. It’s only a matter of time before he pops up and demands that we all do something crazy again.”

“Now I would never have you do something crazy, Yohi?” Reborn’s voice asked. Kiyohiko froze, rice hovering only centimeters from his mouth. Reborn came into view, encased in a large green ball with only his face exposed.

“What are you doing here Reborn? I’m at school,” Kiyohiko frowned, placing his uneaten glob of rice back in the bento. “A tutor is supposed to be outside of school, correct?”

“I should have you run as penance, but I am feeling gracious today,” the Reborn Ball said, bouncing idly up and down. “Haruhi, Damiano, how have you two been doing concerning your training?”

“Great,” Haruhi grinned. “I talked to Dad on the phone last night and he says he’s gonna properly show me the Shigure Souen Ryu when he comes back from Italy next week. He even said that if I do well, he’ll show me some of the moves Squalo-jiji has used on him in battle.”

“You’re so brave Signorina Haruhi…” Damiano said in near awe.

“What? It’s not like Dad’s gonna be attacking me with an actual sword or anything…”

“No… you called Signore Squalo an old man,” Damiano corrected. “Referring to him that way is usually considered akin to signing one’s personal death warrant.”

“Eh… been referring to him like that since I was little,” Haruhi smirked. “Then again, the last time I saw him long enough to call him that to his face, I was nine. Mom didn’t want me around him after that; he took his job of being the swordsman in the roleplay a little too seriously and Mom didn’t really like that. He swore an awful lot too.”

“Is that why you only know Italian cuss words and dirty Sicilian phrases?” Kiyohiko asked bluntly. Haruhi said nothing, but her laughing eyes begged to differ.

“Are you performing just as well in your self-training Damiano?” Reborn asked.

“Oh, very well, yes,” Damiano replied enthusiastically. “I’ve been watching training footage of Signore Gokudera with his explosives and I believe I have learned a lot. There’s definitely a reason why he was called ‘Smoking Bomb’ after all!”

“Good, good,” Reborn muttered. “…and since I know that Masaru has been doing fine lately, I believe that we are ready for a group training exercise.”

“A group training exercise?” Kiyohiko asked, rather incredulous. “What’s the excuse this time?”

“Your family is not to the fullest potential yet, and I want there to be a few more members before I start bringing in tutors for the others.”

“I thought I told you to leave them out of this…” Kiyohiko growled, picking up the Reborn Ball and stretching it at the sides. “I’ve given up protesting my involvement, but you really shouldn’t drag these three, or anyone else, into this mess.”

“Come to Namimori Park, five o’ clock,” Reborn said, completely ignoring Kiyohiko’s anger. “I would like this to be a weaponless session, so leave the bokken, boomerang, gloves and explosives at home.” With that, the Reborn Ball wriggled out of Kiyohiko’s grasp and rolled off.

“Well,” Masaru shrugged, “at least he didn’t say anything about your notepad and pen Little Cousin.”

“Ha, ha, ha… you’re so witty,” Kiyohiko said with the most sarcastic tone he could muster. “It’s a shame I can’t beat that kid’s ass without being in danger of getting shot.”

“Don’t blame Reborn-kun for this,” Haruhi said. “He’s only a kid who wants to play. I’m sure he’ll grow out of it soon enough and then he’ll leave you alone for sure.” Kiyohiko faked gratitude at Haruhi’s words.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Masaru did not mind all the strange looks he was receiving as he walked down the street towards Namimori Park that afternoon. In fact, he was near completely oblivious to the odd stares and more concentrated on making sure he did not drop what he was carrying. It was a tough job being the responsible one, but someone had to do it.

“You know, it should be extremely unnecessary for me to carry you over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes just to go down to the park,” the elder cousin said.

“Don’t assume I enjoy this,” Kiyohiko muttered, bobbing jerkily with Masaru’s gait.

“Hey, you were the one who extremely refused to come on your own.”

“…because Yamigawa-sensei gave us three whole chapters of homework that’s due before class tomorrow…”

“…and that’s why we have Haruhi-chan’s work to copy off of!” Masaru said cheerfully. Kiyohiko let off a little whining sound as he gave up the argument. Copying Haruhi’s coursework was how his cousin got through middle school when all was said and done. The only problem he had to ponder now was if the affection in Masaru’s voice was for the girl or her homework.

Before long, Kiyohiko found himself being dropped on the grass unceremoniously. Landing with an –urk—, he saw that they had reached where Damiano and Haruhi were already sitting in wait.

“Glad you made it Yohi-kun, Masaru-kun,” Haruhi smiled. “Damiano-kun just got here, so now all we need is Reborn-kun to show up!”

“Great,” Kiyohiko grumbled, trying not to wince as he got up. He had landed a little too sharply on his hip for comfort. “You know, it’s probably going to be a ton of running if you want to know the truth.”

“Sourpuss…!” Haruhi teased, putting the young Vongola into a headlock and grinding her fist into his skull. Kiyohiko flailed his arms about in an attempt to escape, while Masaru laughed and Damiano looked like he almost wanted to trade places with him.

Amongst the commotion, the teens had completely forgotten their surroundings and did not notice the other people milling about in the park. A few children laughed at them and an old lady stared before moving on. The teens gave them no notice, nor did they give the men in suits any notice.

It was not long though, before Damiano, Kiyohiko and Haruhi noticed that Masaru was no longer there laughing—an eerie silence taking his place instead.

“Woah, where’s Masaru-kun?” Haruhi wondered, allowing her grip on Kiyohiko to relax.

“He was right here just a moment ago…” Damiano wondered, looking at the spot next to him where the older boy once stood. He glanced up at Kiyohiko and tilted his head to the side. “Hey, wasn’t Signorina Haruhi standing right there behind you?”

“Haruhi-san…?” Kiyohiko gasped, spinning around only to be met with an empty park. He turned back to Damiano, only to find that he was not there as well.

No…! Kiyohiko panicked. No, no, no, no! They can’t be gone! No! The young Vongola began to look all around, his eyes darting to the trees and brush and anywhere else he could. He spun around and jumped back when he saw Reborn suspended from a tree.

“What the…?!” he gasped, his heart skipping a beat. Reborn grinned and began rolling up and down the length of rope.

“You seem frantic, Yohi,” the infant noted.

“Yeah! My friends just disappeared!” Kiyohiko snapped. “What did you do with them!?”

“I did nothing, Yohi,” Reborn said casually. “Some men absconded with them.”

“I’m just going to assume you mean they were kidnapped,” the teen frowned. Kiyohiko tore at his hair and began kicking the grass. “Great… just great! Here I am without a weapon or a skill and my friends get kidnapped!”

“Take this,” Reborn said, holding out a gun. Kiyohiko looked at him suspiciously, but took the gun anyways. “They are being held in the old Kokuyo building.”

“Kokuyo?!” Kiyohiko gasped. “That place has been abandoned since Dad was a kid! It should have been torn down years ago!”

“You better hurry Yohi, or else it might become too late. It is the job of a proper boss to defend his Family at any given moment with any given cost.”

“Damn it…!” Kiyohiko whined, reluctantly headed off in the direction of the old Kokuyo Middle School. “Thanks for loaning me Leon at least!”

“That is what a tutor is for,” Reborn said, continuing to roll up and down the rope. Once Kiyohiko was out of sight, the infant dropped to the ground and chuckled.

“He really is an idiot, isn’t he Leon?” he wondered aloud. Leon the Chameleon slithered out of Reborn’s jacket and sat upon the infant’s hat, flicking his tongue for a fly.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Kiyohiko let out a little whimper as he came within sight of the old Kokuyo building. Dilapidated and beyond salvaging, it was a large eyesore in Namimori. Kiyohiko tried to sneak around through the back, as that was the only way in which he could enter without it looking as if he disappeared into thin air; to his knowledge, Mukuro’s powerful illusions kept the place under the guise of a modern water-pumping station that required little maintenance to all but those who required the building’s true potential as a hideaway place. The very notion that the kidnappers were able to get into Kokuyo unnerved the teen greatly as he crept through the building.

I hope I’m not dealing with any Mist illusionists, Kiyohiko thought, clutching the gun shakily. Come on Leon… help me out here. Where did they bring Masaru-nii, Haruhi-san and Damiano-kun? I just want to get them and go home.

After the weapon gave no inclination to assist him, Kiyohiko grumbled to himself and decided he was going to go up the stairs. Feeling slightly like a character from a Bond film, Kiyohiko ascended the staircase with his back to the wall and pistol at the ready. He poked his head out of the staircase and glanced around in an attempt to catch sight of someone. It did not matter who he found, just as long as his friends were still alive.

Carefully creeping through the rooms, Kiyohiko’s eyes darted warily all about him in an attempt to stay on his toes. His heart began pounding so hard that he could feel the blood coursing through his veins. It was pumping so hard that he was developing a headache with every moment that passed.

Finally, Kiyohiko saw both what he wanted to find and what he wanted to stay far away from. Masaru, Haruhi and Damiano were sitting together, all awake and seemingly fine. However, there was a masked guard with a very large gun standing close by and the three hostages were all bound with rope. Kiyohiko ducked behind a pile of busted concrete and paused.

Alright… there’s only one guard. You can do this Yohi… you’ve got Leon. Yeah. Leon will help you out. I mean… Leon shoots out Dying Will Bullets and I’m sure the last thing his guy wants to do before he dies is kill a bunch of teenagers.

Okay… this is it… three…

…two…

…one…

Kiyohiko jumped to his feet and quickly shot the guard, the mark hitting the man directly in the forehead. The teenager froze as the guard crumpled to the ground, bleeding all over the place.

“Yohi-kun…?!” Haruhi gasped. Kiyohiko ran over to the three in tears and began untying them.

“That was extremely cool of you Little Cousin!” Masaru grinned, proud of his rescuer.

“Hurry up before he pops back up!” Kiyohiko panicked, ignoring his cousin. “I shot him with Leon, so the Dying Will Bullet should take effect any moment now!”

“It looks like he’s dead to me,” Damiano said, staring wide-eyed at the guard as he began bleeding out on the floor. “Shooting someone in the forehead generally equates to death.”

“Not when Reborn loans me Leon,” Kiyohiko said, getting Damiano untied. Once all four teens could move, they bolted for the exit and did not stop running until they reached Haruhi’s house, as it was the closest.

“Hahi… what’s with you kids?” Haru asked as her kitchen suddenly became filled with out-of-breath, frazzled teenagers. She had been preparing some snacks at the time and had honestly not expected the foursome to return until hours later.

“We were just playing Mom…” Haruhi panted, leaning on a chair. “You know that roleplay game…? It’s really getting realistic. You’d be amazed. Even Yohi-kun’s finally getting into it.”

“Yes, Yohi has been conforming to his role nicely,” Reborn said, hopping up onto the table. “You successfully defended your Family members and took out a member of the opposition. That is quite an accomplishment.”

“Wow… thanks Reborn,” Kiyohiko breathed, smiling faintly. He held out the gun towards Reborn. “Here’s Leon back, by the way. Thanks for loaning him to me.”

“Oh, no, you keep it Yohi,” Reborn said cheerfully. Leon slithered out from underneath the infant’s hat and stared innocently at a now speechless Kiyohiko.

“Don Yohi…” Damiano said weakly, “something tells me that was not a Dying Will Bullet.”

“Oh crap,” Masaru cursed. His voice squeaked in the shock he shared with Kiyohiko and Damiano. The three boys were so freaked out over the thought that Kiyohiko had killed someone that they did not so much as flinch when someone began knocking at the outside door to the kitchen.

“Could you please get that Haruhi?” Haru asked as she began setting some food on the table. Haruhi complied and opened the door, only to find the blood-encrusted kidnapper from before standing in the doorway.

“Hiiiiii!” Haruhi squeaked, scrambling to hide behind Masaru and Damiano. Haru frowned and made her way towards the door.

“I’m glad you could make it,” she told the man politely as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Don’t do it Mom! He kidnapped us earlier!” Haruhi squeaked. The boys, late in registering the fact that there was a visitor in the house, all blanched at the sight of the man who they thought Kiyohiko had just murdered. In fact, most of what they were able to do was stare and sputter unintelligibly.

“I would like you all to meet Moretti,” Reborn said, motioning towards the man. He took off his ski mask and revealed his kind face and nervous smile. “He is an expert at getting assassinated.”

“Don’t you only get assassinated once, only if you’re super important?” Kiyohiko squeaked, his face sheet-white.

“Moretti’s specialty is feigning death, all the way down to the bodily signs. Playing possum comes in handy when infiltrating enemy Family bases.”

“So that’s why you’re covered in that fake blood,” Haru said, clearly unimpressed. “I should’ve known better when Takeshi called and said a coworker was coming over to bring me something. I bet you only scared the kids when you set off the fake blood packet because they were scared out of their wits.”

“How did you know Mrs. Yamamoto?” Moretti asked, scratching the back of his head and blushing furiously in embarrassment. “Most people can’t tell the difference, even in the Mafia.”

“Just because I married an idiot doesn’t mean that I’m one too,” Haru said, snatching the envelope from Moretti’s now outstretched hand. “Now sit down and have something to eat; I bet you’re starved from that plane ride.”

“You’re too kind Mrs. Yamamoto,” Moretti said, taking a seat at the table. He happily began eating, while it took the teens all they had to not fall over in shock.