chapter 2 - the first flood

Iemitsu, as the one closest to the door, was the one to throw the door open, also allowing the previously muffled scream to rip through the meeting room without obstruction. He bolted into the outside hallway, closely followed by Tsuna, Mammon, and the rest of the VARIA.

Collapsed on the floor was Basil, his body furiously trembling as he curled himself into a ball and screamed his throat hoarse. A familiar, bright blue Flame on his head rapidly fluctuated between flickering and blazing, and though his eyes were squeezed tightly shut, his eyelids twitched every few seconds to reveal the glowing blue underneath.

Glancing at Iemitsu from where she was bent over the shaking boy, Oregano snapped, "Sir, I'll go get a stretcher!" and Iemitsu nodded as she sped off in the direction of the infirmary.

Mammon flew over and hovered next to the suffering nineteen-year-old, raising his child-sized hand near his head to get an approximate sense of what he was experiencing. One brush with his mind and he winced, quickly withdrawing his hand in pain. "It's not good," he murmured, troubled. "His mind is in utter chaos right now- in the second I was able to sense, thousands of images and foreign thoughts flashed in his mind."

Tsuna spun around to face the Cervello, who remained unfazed in the meeting room. "What's going on?!" he demanded, gesturing towards his shaking friend. "Basil- Basil was chosen, right? So why is the Tri-ni-sette's power making him like this?!"

The Cervello stared back at him, seemingly unconcerned. "We did say that he would be given a great burden. It is likely that he is experiencing something similar to how Byakuran became aware of the different times and dimensions, but at a much less gradual, much more intense pace. The automatic Hyper Dying Will Mode could be due to the body's immediate self-defense mechanism- a response to the flood of Flames he is receiving."

Chrome, having tried to sense Basil's feelings as well, stumbled back from the shock. "H-he's being flooded with the information," she stammered in worry. "I don't- I don't think his mind can take it-"

Mukuro stepped forward, putting his hands on Chrome's shoulders in comfort. "Kufufu, then we just have to relieve some of the stress from his mind, correct?" He pointedly glanced towards Fran ("I'm not your apprentice anymore, shishou- VARIA, remember?") and drew his trident to drain the excess Flames from Basil's mind. A twitch of his mouth was the only indication that the interference pained him indirectly as well.

As Chrome clenched her own trident in concentration and Fran extended his Mist Flames to help, Mammon gave cautious probes to the flood and siphoned off the Flames that had begun fueling the Rain Flame on Basil's head as well, lest they consume him entirely. "Vongola," he managed to say dryly, urgency hidden under decades of apathy. "You have Sky Flames; use them." Now.

"O-oh, right!" Tsuna replied, startled out of his panic. The Dying Will Flame flickered to life on his head as he slowly applied his Harmony attribute to Basil's Flames, careful not to petrify him. Petrify or freeze him- wouldn't want that now, because he'd just (unknowingly) given consent for Basil's life to be turned upside down and thrown into Hell on the armrest of Lucifer's throne. And if Basil died here, died now... Tsuna swallowed and shoved the thoughts aside, concentrating on Balance and Harmony. He was overwhelmed with pressure as soon as he came in contact with the overflowing Flames, and his mind wavered before he resolutely set it back on making sure Basil didn't die here, damnit!

Unexpectedly, someone settled next to him, and his father's hands- unfamiliar, but calloused with experiences borne for the sake of the Family- radiated Sky Flames as well. Absent father or not, Tsuna had to admit that Iemitsu had been using his Sky Flames years longer than he had, and mimicked the Sky manipulations that his father wove.

Basil did seem to be shaking less, though his body still wracked with spasms at intervals- whether that was because of the aid he was receiving or because he was getting weaker, Tsuna wasn't sure. Eyelids flickered again and Tsuna swore that those blue eyes had been looking straight at him. The sight of a tortured Basil crying out in agony left him stunned as heavy footsteps approached. Ryohei bent down beside him and, muscles visibly straining with effort, he managed to push Basil's jaw shut. "So he doesn't bite his tongue and experience extremely fatal blood loss," he grit out, and Tsuna silently thanked Ryohei's last few years of medical training.

The silence left by the absence of Basil's screams was more foreboding than it had been with the sounds constantly bearing down on them, and Tsuna found it much more difficult to focus on Harmony and Balance with the sudden ringing of his ears.

His thoughts wandered to Xanxus and his Sky Flames, but he wasn't going to count on the miracle of him helping. However, he recognized the harsh order from the VARIA leader for his men to fan out and watch the premises just in case. They were mafia after all, and with one of their Own having come into such power and immediately sent careening into an unstable state, defenses were obviously needed. And from Xanxus, that was enough. It was even more of a testament to the treasured bonds of Famiglia when Xanxus plucked a stray wisp of overflow from the air, vaporizing it with his Flames of Wrath. He did nothing else, merely observing the makeshift healing party, but the concern was there.

When Oregano's "The stretcher, sir!" rang through the hallway, Yamamoto and Gokudera were the first ones to heft Basil into the air, grateful for the chance to do something, as they were wary of accidentally fueling the Rain Flames with more Rain Flames or worse, destroying something that should be left intact.

As they rushed Basil down the hall, Tsuna heard Bermuda's voice behind him. "Well, the Tri-ni-sette should be stabilized now. I will take my leave, then."

"We have finished what we came here to do as well. We bid you farewell, Sawada- and to you, newest member of this cursed fate."

Tsuna whirled around, but Bermuda, the two Vindice, and the two Cervello had disappeared, leaving an ominous air in their wake.

"Are… are we done?" Tsuna panted, his gloved hand swiping sweat from his brow.

Ryohei gave his patient one last look over before giving his little brother a tired grin. "This is the most we can extremely do for now."

The occupants of the infirmary gave a collective sigh of relief as many sought out chairs or other spots to rest their tired muscles, a luxury most appreciated by the Mist and Sky users. Tsuna let his Dying Will Flame extinguish as he collapsed onto his own seat, exhausted. The last hour or so had mainly been spent strapping Basil to the bed so that he didn't hurt himself with his thrashing and continuously draining the Flames driving Basil's mind into chaos. The blond had stopped screaming half an hour ago (allowing Ryohei to finally stop keeping his jaw in place), but the strain had left his throat bloody and torn, and he still let out the occasional pained whimper.

Add another item to the list of 'cannot be healed yet,' Tsuna thought grimly. Though Basil had finally fallen asleep, his shuddering Dying Will Flame had yet to go out, and Mammon, who refused to take a break from tending to the young blond, had confirmed that the havoc in his mind had not settled either. As Ryohei had pointed out, healing any injuries Basil had sustained throughout his Flood (as they had begun calling it) with Sun Flames would be counterproductive at this point in time- they couldn't risk adding Flames while they were still removing them.

In the corner of the room, Yuni had her eyes closed in concentration, having been trying to foresee the outcome of the situation. After another unsuccessful attempt, she shook her head. "I just don't understand," she sighed in frustration. "The Tri-ni-sette chose a non-Sky when it has always been balanced by Sky Flames- why?"

Sitting next to her, Enma contemplated the question. "W-well," he reasoned, glancing at Basil's blue Dying Will Flame, "He is able to access Hyper Dying Will Mode- I mean, he's the only non-Sky or Earth user who can, and it's not easy."

"He's always had a high Flame potential," Iemitsu agreed wearily, following Enma's gaze. "It's why he caught my eye, why I brought him out of the streets."

Tsuna frowned. "Out of the stree-"

"Mu, as important as your talk is, it is rather difficult to concentrate," Mammon rebutted curtly from his spot by Basil's bedside, his body stiff under his cloak. "The Little One's Flames are wavering, but there are dangerous bursts that I still cannot control."

"Sorry," Tsuna said quietly as he anxiously stared at Basil's quivering form. What's going on in your head, Basil? he wondered.

Stumble-

Fall-

Pain-

Get up, keep running, keep running-

Ignore the salt-burning, ignore the stabbing-pain

Keep running

Basil stumbled in exhaustion and fell painfully to his knees, then sprang up with a cry as the saltwater stung the gashes all over his body. His eyes darted around, desperate, seeking land- but it was the same scenery he had seen ever since he had woken up in this place- an endless salt flat, a mirror reflecting the blue sky above. Or it would be, if the waters weren't churning and screaming and roaring to threaten swallowing Basil whole-

(coat to block the cold 'don'tforgetthesigns' kids floating in the air with ribbons streaming lights blinking)

-and his head ached and it felt like he was drowning even though he couldn't in such shallow water and there were others trying to swallow him as well-

-the sharks were back, even though Basil swore he'd finally lost them. He willed his legs to move and run (but the saltwater was splashing against the wounds on his legs and it was so hard to run in water and why couldn't he go any faster)- the predators must have sensed his fear (Squalo had told him about that) and no wonder they found me, no wonder.

('whydoyoulie' flashes of color the only way out is over the cliff black suits crisp ties)

His vision unfocusing as images overlapped, Basil staggered through the waves, felt warm blood drip down his arm and blur into the waters splashing against his legs- as if the sharks needed another way to track him. As he trudged through the waters, constantly being knocked to his side and bitten by salt, Basil faintly noticed that it was quiet- quiet?- besides the rushing sound of the waves as they seethed.

Ears were waterlogged, everything he heard sounded distant and distorted, but-

(wife undone, slices through walls, white blanket over grief as hands shake is that him)

He turned back, hoping, thinking, maybe they're gone- but then his heart skipped a beat and he pushed his aching limbs harder (wobbled for a moment before catching himself why was his head so sore) the sharks were silent and gaining on him, metersfeetinchesaway-

-and then they weren't silent anymore, teeth snapping-snappingsoloud no need for silence when the prey was so close and giving up no he couldn't give up couldn't give up yet

(alone left alone yet she's not and fireplaces crackle floor collapses sparks at her fingertips papers ablaze)

There was a tug on his being, something inside of him that he couldn't describe but had to respond to- so his eyes flickered to the side and there was- ice? Freezing, spreading ice that slowly crept through the raging waters and froze them in their screams, stretching its cold to cover the expanse like cyrophoenix wings. But the cold never touches Basil, he doesn't feel any heat draining from him (then again, he thinks as he shivers, he doesn't have any left to drain at all). Then it stops, the last tips of ice hardening water with a sharp cracking sound-

(dying again, someone's name on his lips, a Triad deal gone bad and now the thief was dead)

-but something else was still moving, and Basil, despite his legs howling tiredstopfall and lockbreakcrumble, found the energy to look the other way, where a whirlpool was tirelessly consuming his tormentors, the waters' shrieks silencing as they were swallowed by the void. It started as a devouring maelstrom before slowly shrinking into a small vortex, its force diminishing but its presence even stronger, and Basil knew it somehow, knew and smiled through the suffering-

-but he made a mistake, he paused stopped for just a moment and there were jagged knives searing through his leg. He whipped around with a cry to see that a shark had gotten to him, teeth sunk into his flesh and ready to tear away-

-and it disappeared.

(desperation panic succumbing to rest relief, hospital beds and rings lit fireworks 'areyouokay' 'yesIam')

The throbbing in his skull faded, dulling as Basil watched the turbulent waters recede in awe. "_ver," he heard himself say, and it was over over he was free. Crimson still tainted the salt flat's reflective surface, serving as a reminder of what had happened, and the pain in his body had yet to wane, but-

The last things he remembered seeing were the frosty glacier and the swirling whirlpool on the horizon before he swayed and closed his eyes.

Basil stirred.

A murmur of startled whispers swept through the room. Tsuna was the first out of his seat, fatigue forgotten as he scurried to his friend's bedside. "Basil!" he exclaimed, worried, but excited. "Basil-"

And then his eyes opened, and Tsuna took a step back in shock despite himself.

"What's wrong?" Ryohei and Lussuria were suddenly next to their patient, who made a pained sound of discontent as he attempted to rise, his Dying Will Flame dissipating. Lussuria helped Basil sit up as Ryohei checked his blood pressure and heart rate, taking advantage of Basil's momentary disorientation.

Once the Sun User checked pupil dilation, however, he blinked. "This is extremely odd," he frowned, switching the small light off. "His eyes are…"

Lussuria tsked and took a look. "Hm~" he hummed curiously as he shone light into Basil's eyes himself. "...three pupils in each- looks like you've got polycoria, dear, but I can't be too sure."

Still looking confused, Basil didn't seem to be processing anything Lussuria was saying. Instead, his altered eyes flashed to the side in slight panic, looking for-

-and the former Mist Arcobaleno was next to him on the bed, small, child-sized arm reaching out-

-without hesitation, Basil flung his arms around Mammon and wailed over his shoulder as relief washed over him, gently lapping, comforting- so different from the raging, drowning waters that had plagued his mind.