Clues

School the next day after Kenichi and Miu got that portrait...

It was after school in Shinpaku Base that Niijima assembled Shinpaku on Kenichi's request.

'So what are we here for Kenichi-kun?' Takeda asked Kenichi curiously.

'We received word in the Martial Arts world that a fourteen years old girl is recently promoted to Expert Status.' said Miu grimly. 'And this person is from Yomi...or at least, she's not Yomi any more but is most likely now considered a Yami member as she is no longer a disciple.'

'This is her, Sawada Hibiki.' said Kenichi, his arm towards the drawn life-like portrait. 'Akisame-shishou got this much from her past opponents as she pretty much attacked Expert-Class Fighters on her road to becoming a Master.' he said. 'Under serious instruction from Ryouzanpaku as all her opponents are killed as per Yami's mandate, if you ever see her, run and don't look back. If you lose to her, you will be killed after.'

'But she's only fourteen...' Kisara said skeptically. Surely a 14 year old can't be an Expert so soon, much less kill people, right?

'14 and a proven Expert when most disciples take years to even go that far...age 20 at earliest.' said Kenichi. 'And the masters investigated...and a lot of Experts from both Katsujinken and Satsujinken are killed, both armed and unarmed martial arts.' he said. 'Their heads twisted off their necks. Apparently according to sources, its her favorite way of killing her opponents.' he said, looking green. 'Sensei has pictures, but dare not show it to us, but they DID offer that if you have tough stomachs, you can ask him in Ryouzanpaku just so you know the gravity of the situation.'

That got the kids stunned in silence.

Three days later...

Ryouzanpaku got intel that Gokudera used to be a Freelance Bomber and Saboteur...all at a young age of nine years old before he vanished from the Mafia Society. The mafioso thought he's dead and could care less for a half-breed.

The Bianchi looking for him was his older half-sister who probably secretly feeds him poison as her father cheated on her mother with his, was FBI's popular belief that boy was eager to accept Hibiki's hand to get away. But at least he got away when he could as if you're in Mafia deep enough, you can never get away. Once you're in, you can never get out! His sister is known as the assassin Poison Scorpion who force-feeds her victims with poisoned food! And she's 17 this year to his 14...

'It's not that different with Yami though, even if he gets his rightful dues as Yami's education and training is no joke, while the mafia are pickier that its 1/100 while Yami has 30/100.' they would say. 'Their disciples are omniglots and have education enough to be College Professors with Soldier Training. The Mafia Society is nothing of worth to Yami in terms of strength and power. You can say that if the Mafia crosses Yami, nothing can save them. Nothing. They're oh-so-dead even a frigging 13 year old in Kushinada's student can kill em' all.'

That was that regarding Gokudera. And his stint was that of a bomber and saboteur but with italian mafia prejudice towards mixed breeds and asians, competence-be-damned, he was shamelessly shorted and stifled simply for not being pure Italian! Well, joke's on the Mafia, the FBI has insider intel that he gets paid more than the Mafia pays him. His loyalty is booked solid. From records they could hack, he was paid oh-so-low! And in Yami, his pay was generous he can live in Ginza Tokyo comfortably for a month, and eat foods and wear clothes a common japanese can't have. His monthly pay was 1.5 million a month, equivalent to over 12300 euro, the amount of pay high ranking Mafioso get!

As for his boss?

She was once a girl thought for dead and she's alive all this time?

One option: capture Gokudera!

'What the fuck?!' Gokudera gasped as he found himself captured by Akisame on the way home from school and taken to Ryouzanpaku.

'Greetings, Gokudera-kun.' said an FBI agent. 'We have investigated your background and we have found your connection to Sawada Hibiki.' Gokudera froze and quickly made motions to bite hard...

'Crap! Stop him!' another cried in alarm as he recognized the gesture of biting down for their death as they quickly wrestled with the boy to get what's obviously, a hidden poison molar in his mouth!

'You'll go that far?!' Kenichi cried in horror. 'You'll poison yourself after she just cured you of poison?!'

'What would you know about loyalty anyway, dipshit?!' Gokudera spat. 'Here you are living a rose-colored life with a picture-perfect family while my life was hell for years!' Kenichi flinched horribly at that, picturing his whole life in his mind, and wondering just what kind of life Gokudera lived for years. 'Only Boss was there for me and gave me what she felt I deserved! I got a life, respect a human being deserved, education, comrades and a livelihood! They never had anything against me being a mixed-breed either! I won't betray her!' his resolve was so strong that they know he will not betray his boss nor Yami, going as far as a poisoned molar in his mouth. 'Just kill me instead!'

'Sigh, then we won't ask about Yami or Yomi...we want intel about your boss' background, not her activities in Yami...sound good?' Hayato decided. If Gokudera talked about Yami or Yomi and he wasn't even well-trained in martial arts but in something elses due to his health, he'll be easily killed for sure. 'We found that she has family in Namimori Town, and the scandal that caused her former school to shut down. Why did she join Yami when she could have just called for help and went home? Its not about Yami or Yomi, right? I know that the second you talk about Yami or Yomi, you will be a corpse the next day. Yami has tentacles everywhere.' he said grimly. 'We cannot do that to you.'

Gokudera was in deep thought. He carefully picked what to say.

'Its because she lost all her memories. A total blank, except for language and basic skills even a toddler would know.' said Gokudera to their surprise. 'At the bottom of that ledge where she was pushed off of, it so happens that senpai and our two masters were training there, and found her with grievous injuries, enough to cause that mental blank.' he said. 'They investigated and given the nasty nature of the people of that town, and the fact she has amnesia, they decided she's better off away. They know her name because of her school stuff that fell with her. And they told her the truth after three years. They told her that they can't bring her home in the beginning, in fear she'll be killed by malicious kids with a superiority complex, thinking they have the right to bully and kill their peers simply cuz' they could.'

'Then there's me who dug into her background after picking me up...and I learned more than that and told her. And she told me that she is satisfied that she still has a family who mourned her and gave her justice. But she'd rather not go back as she has nothing and it'd be weird.'

'Weird?' a lady FBI asked.

'She has no memories, feelings nor attachments to a group of what's basically strangers to her as the past is all gone.' said Gokudera flatly. 'To her, it'd be weird that a group of strangers acts like they know her, doting on her when she has no clue about them. Life ain't a fairy tale like idealistic drama soaps make it out to be, lady.' he deadpanned. 'Psychologists and Therapists will tell you that much. So she's happier with her father figures anyway. And they saved her from psychopathic little shits and their sociopathic prejudiced teachers in that messed-up school and gave her better, she'd choose what's better.'

'But Gokudera-kun, why is she fine with killing at a young age?' Miu asked him in dismay.

'Well, if you're raised into thinking killing is OK before you learn killing is wrong like you rose-colored brats do...' Gokudera scoffed to the horror of some. 'Me? Its a part of my life long before boss picked me up. Killing is what puts food on my table and a roof over my head. It's what we all do. At least I don't enjoy it like some psycho who enjoys killing and sadism for shits and giggles so I'm a better human being in that regard. Its purely professional, purely business and a nice big cheque. That's all I'll say.'

'Very well...we obviously cannot tell Mrs. Sawada that her daughter is still alive until we bring an end to Yami.' an agent sighed. 'Then one last question. Sawada's father is a high-ranking mafioso and you knew it. The External Advisor of Vongola Famiglia.'

'Well duh, who wouldn't know of big faces over there?' Gokudera sweatdropped. 'And boss could care less. She may be happy that she has family who gave a damn and mourned her, but she's in utter dismay that he works for cowards using filthy metal called guns and her family is living off that when there's better dignified ways. Sure her mom and sister have no problems with life, but its still...y'know? And it doesn't help that she saved a boy from being cornered by chinese triads, threatening him with guns...she got pissed, and off goes their heads like twisted-off bottlecaps...' his listeners went green at the image that made in their heads. '...they were gonna use him as blackmail material against his relative whom they want so yeah, coward's filthy metal indeed.'

'Relative?'

'Chinese Grandmaster Genius of 108 martial arts, Fon-sifu.' several jaws dropped.

'They want Fon?!' Kensei squawked. 'He went missing when I was 19 years old and I wanted to learn from him back then!' he whined causing collective sweatdrops. 'PLEASE don't tell me he's in Yami!' he sputtered out pleadingly with comical river tears from his eyes.

'He ain't in Yami pops, he's busy keeping the dumb shits away from Japan but some got past him...and missy killed the rest. She doesn't approve of hostage-taking by gunpoint or you're head's gonna go twisty-cap. Its her favorite way of killing anyone who uses firearms and poisons, be it pointed at her or anyone else, no matter your allegiance or how innocent or bad person you are, point firearms at anyone, kiss your ass goodbye.' Gokudera snorted.

'Geez, that'd make our jobs harder if she was around.' an agent grumbled. 'We sorta need guns.'

'Yeah, that WILL be hard, we need to arrest Yami as whole while wondering what to do about the Yomi.' said another in exasperation.

'Phew...I'm glad he's not in Yami.' Kensei sighed, glad that Fon wasn't in Yami. 'It'd be a tragic waste!'

'He ain't interested in our lifestyle nor culture. He could care less as long as he keeps the triad fuckers off Japan.' Gokudera snorted. 'Boss said he was boiling mad despite smiling kindly when he spoke of it after leaving his relative in her and master's care when he chanced upon them at camp. She described him as the Eye of the Storm and when he lets his anger out, he can destroy a building with just his bare hands just to skin your ass.'

After that, Gokudera was released, free to go.

He didn't reveal information about the organization so he's safe. Yami indeed has tentacles everywhere and stuff about missy ain't yami-bleeding.

FBI?

CIA?

CSI?

NSA?

SIS?

FIS?

MI6?

PSB?

They can't protect anyone or anything from Yami who may be on their shit list.

No matter what law place you're in or whatever, Yami has agents everywhere!

xxx

'Well, at least we got much about the children.' said Inspector Honmaki. 'But Elder, about Gokudera...'

'Its better that he didn't talk about Yami for now.' said Hayato. 'His blood will be on our hands if we made him talk as he'll be a corpse statement aimed at us before he reaches his apartment.' he said, shaking his head. 'The most compromise we can get, is their background. He is also strongly loyal to Hibiki with good reason. Kids like him, are prone to loyalty to who gave them a hand and pull them out of the quagmire they're in. Gokudera-kun's misfortune, is that his father from a prominent italian mafia family, cheated on his legal wife with his mother. Its implied that his mother died young and he's in his father and stepmother's custody...so when his father isn't looking, he was poisoned behind his back and he fled to become a Freelancer. Didn't go well for him until Hibiki happened.'

'He owes her his very life.' said Sakaki. 'So given mafia mentality, his life belongs to her now. At least she treats him well, further cementing his loyalty he went as far as a poisoned molar in his mouth.' he said darkly. 'If ninjutsu's his forte, having poisons on himself for suicide than talk makes sense.'

'...that's unfortunate. So how do we deal with the Sawada Family?' Honmaki's police companion wondered.

'Bad idea for now.' said Kensei. 'Let's pretend to assume that Mafia and Triad are the same.' he said. 'If we tell Nana-san about her daughter, Sawada Iemitsu will know via home calls...and this will reach Vongola Organization. Those guys will die a fool's death for nothing, so bad idea.'

'For now, until Yami is dismantled, we cannot say a word until it's safe.' said Akisame. 'We don't approve of mafia activity either but they make things complicated. Unnecessarily complicated. It's safe to say that other than Asamiya Ryuuto, the other Yomi are orphans picked up by their Masters. Only Sawada Hibiki, and Asamiya Ryuuto have living families to go back to. Gokudera pretty much, considers himself an orphan than go back to be mistreated and poisoned. He will go wherever Hibiki goes. And those two have two masters. Ninjutsu and one other. But as of now, Hibiki is Gokudera's Master despite being an Expert-Class fighter.'

'Isn't that a little weird?'

'It is...until you hear she mastered all techniques of Ninjutsu, very skilled in Ki techniques, even capable of a Master-Class technique, Ki no Shoaku and using Seidou Gouitsu like a toy when mishandling cripples even Master Classes...and currently has defeated many Expert-Class Fighters in her wake to become a Master...Yami-style.'

'That means all she defeated are dead.'

'Yes. Hibiki is the one teaching Gokudera Ninjutsu but she spent years healing him from poison before he got actual training so his education before that must be something else entirely, if he could use Supercomputers and even owned gadgets civilians cannot have for his missions.' said Hayato. 'Yami's resources are frightening, as they are backed by warmongers who wish to profit off of war. He is a capable agent and while not a good fighter, he still shouldn't be underestimated if his loyalty is so profound.'

xxx

At his apartment, Gokudera got a text message.

He was glad he did NOT talk about Yami.

He damn knew there's a mole among them!

/Good, you did not reveal about Yami more than they know. But is it alright to talk about Ketsutohime?/ he read. Gokudera sent a reply back.

That alias irritated him but its how Yami sees his boss. To him, his boss was TRULY a princess, but that nickname came to be because of how she works that makes her so dangerous. Your guard will lower because she was a prim, proper, modestly-kind girl...that nobody will expect to be dangerous...until she gets her orders to tan your ass. If her 'kindness' is mixed with her dangerous aura, it means don't mess with her. But if no aura, Gokudera knows its her 'true self'. She really is a good person...in the wrong organization and performs because her Master is the LEADER, it's expected of her so she obeys and three, strictly business.

/Boss instructed me that stuff are fine as long as stuff about Yami and Yomi are not revealed. She could care less about the Mafia side of her and would rather deny its existence anyway out of pride. If I talked about what Ryouzanpaku knows not, I'd be a corpse./

/Good. Now back to your mission./

/Yes sir/ma'am./

xxx

Saiga's Penthouse...

'...It seems Hayato threw Ryouzanpaku and the law agencies a bone regarding two of us as long as it's not about Yami.' Hibiki mused while looking at her phone. 'The mole among those present in Ryouzanpaku tonight asked me and I confirmed that it's alright for Hayato to talk about me.'

'Your disciple will be alright?' Saiga asked his disciple worriedly.

'Yes. As long as he has my backing, it's OK.' said Hibiki. 'It helps that he didn't talk about Yami or this mole will kill Hayato and there's nothing I can help him. Hayato knows loyalty best.'

'I see...then, who among these do not belong in the PSB? Three times you are right that your intuition cemented its credibility.' said Saiga, giving Hibiki papers.

'Just don't be TOO obvious...'

'Hey, who'd you take me for?' Saiga chuckled wryly.

'You're overzealous, so tone your hunt down, will ya? If so many disappear at once and your name shows up, they'll hunt you down.' Hibiki warned. 'While I know that you're extremely capable, attention is what you don't need.'

'Mm. I'll keep an eye on these bastards and settle for...job accidents.'

xxx

School the next day...

'Gokudera-kun, can we talk?' Miu asked Gokudera as the Yomi members left the classroom.

'What is it?'

'Well, were you in danger upon coming home?' Kenichi asked him nervously.

'Nah, not really.' said Gokudera, giving them a box of candy after ensuring nobody's looking. 'Read that when you get home.' he whispered before leaving. The two exchanged perturbed looks.

xxx

Ryouzanpaku...dinnertime...

'You kids...did something bad happen?' Sakaki asked the two disciples.

'Shisho, is the dojo clean of any eavesdropping or camera stuff?' Kenichi asked grimly. 'Please check for us first.'

'We triple-checked when everyone left last night.' said Sakaki. 'But to be sure...' the masters checked the dining room and all over the building, even the plants!

'None Ken-chan, don't worry. Ho ho ho.' Hayato chuckled. 'So what do you have for us?'

Miu took out a candy box, the kind with push-out drawers to reveal small rolled-up paper inside and she took it out to unroll it and put it on the table. On the paper was:

FBI and Japanese PSA ain't clean of Yami. As soon as I got home, ONE OR
TWO OF THEM mailed me. Had I gotten complacent and talked about Yami,
I'd be killed last night.

'Gulp...' Kenichi and Miu gulped at the close shave Gokudera had last night.

'My goodness...' Kensei gasped out.

'Apa...that no good...' Apachai sweatdropped.

'It was good that he is very loyal or he wouldn't live past the night...but at least we got a clue we definitely cannot share.' said Hayato solemnly. 'But this is sufficient.' he said, taking the paper and tore it to itty-bitty bits so tiny even Tochumaru can't piece it back.

'Japan isn't clean, as well as any secret service world wide.' said Akisame. 'We have no idea who're the moles, and who are truly, on our side.'

'Mm. It seems...we're on our own.' said Shigure grimly.

'Things are not that bleak yet.' said Hayato. 'We just have to be very good judges of character, to pick up who are our allies, and separate the good eggs from the bad. Easier said than done, so this must be done with utmost care. We cannot have the boy die because of us.'

'Right.'