Chapter 53

It's over as soon as it starts, nothing more than a playful kiss. His lips are cold, unlike the inside of his mouth which is warm and the only thing that feels human to him.

It's like tasting fire, but cool. All energy and control like no other. It's just a second but it's still enough to leave him lightheaded. There's something else, too. Something that tastes metallic, like blood.

They step back, looking at the other consideringly, just a hair of space between their faces. However, that soon is over when a tentacle appears between them.

Soon enough, their masks are in their place, but none are in ready positions to fight. Daemon because he's too confident in his abilities; Tsuna, because he knows the person behind the Mist Flames.

"Mou. You owe me for saving you against sexual assault. Five hundred will do."

"He was not—"

Five bills of one hundred appear on Daemon's hand. He offers it to the miser, before making appear the same quantity again. "This is for future occurrences."

Mona accepts it with a nod. Their head tilts towards him. "Follow me."

Tsuna mentally stumbles for a moment, not knowing what to do. He looks at Daemon but that man only nods to where Mona is standing. "You're the boss, little Sky."

"Uh, right. Let's follow… her?"

Tsuna gives Mona another look. She's still wearing the same dark cloak that covers most of their head. The only difference is the simple black mask with inverted triangles on the cheeks she's wearing. What makes him think Mona chose to be female this time is the faint curve of her hips and the delicates angles of her mask, its lips painted bright indigo.

She motions them forward with a dip of her head and they follow.

"So how are you doing, Mona?" Tsuna asks when some time passes and the miser doesn't offer explanations.

"Call me Mammon here."

"Oh, okay." When no answers come, Tsuna walks ahead until they're walking side by side. "Mammon?"

He can't see her expression but he just knows when he's on the receiving end of a frosty glare.

She turns he head to look ahead. "This is the Mist friend you mentioned giving you Mamoru?"

"Well—"

"I can speak for myself, you know. And yes, I'm that Mist friend."

Tsuna gives him a wild, incredulous look but Daemon's stern glare stops him from putting his foot in his mouth. "Yeah, he is… Misuto."

Daemon tilts his mask aside enough to give him a deadpan expression that clearly shows how unimpressed he's by his naming abilities.

At least it isn't Kiri, he thinks bitterly, or Misty.

Moma stops to turn towards them. She's looking at Daemon. "I want one a familiar, too."

"My apologies, my dear but—"

This time he's the one cutting Daemon off. "I can give you yours later if you want. I've got the, uh, 'eggs' here with me."

Some of the tension Mammon was sporting bleeds off at that comment. She extends her palm up but Tsuna shakes his head. "It's better to wait where there are fewer people around. Search me when the Ball is over."

She nods and turns around, cutting their conversation short.

He gives Daemon a look as he whispers, "She was mad at me."

"Ah, you could notice?"

"Intuition."

"Yes, well. Mists tend to be competitive with each other. She may not see you as her Sky, but she does see you as an unbounded Sky she's working with. She doesn't like others sniffing in her territory."

Tsuna blinks. "That sounds more like what a Cloud would think."

"You seem to forget Mists are earth-bound clouds."

"Right," he murmurs looking down, trying to see the logic in Daemon's words. After a while, he gives up. He looks up at him again. "Uh, so why did you do that?"

"Did what?" the Mist answers, distracted by what, he doesn't know.

"Well… Why did you kiss me?"

"Is not something deep like your suitor's reason, I've to tell you." Daemon snickers, a small board appearing in his hands with four names written on it, each but one with a sticker under. "Fong is already mad Verde has harmonized with you. He will be madder when he realizes Renato kissed you. Imagine what will he be like when he finds out someone else kissed you too?"

Tsuna looks at him open-mouthed (not that he can see him), but soon he recovers, at least enough to punch him lightly on his arm.

"Is not funny." He looks at the board that puffs out of existence. "Hey, would you tell me how to use Mist Flames?"

Daemon tilts his head, his face (or what he can see of it) looking neutral. Before Tsuna starts fidgeting, Mammon interrupts them."I will teach you. For the familiar, of course. I don't like owing at someone."

Daemon smirks at him, tilting his head towards Mammon in a way that says 'I told you so'. Not that he cares at the moment. He's going to learn to use Mist flames! "Awesome."

Mammon nods.

"So, I feel like I should've asked this first but, where are we going?"

"A new Don wants to talk to you."

Tsuna's steps falter. Daemon by his side tenses. "What do you mean? No one but the Vongola knows who I am. Not even you know who I am."

She gives him a look. "I'm an information Broker. They gave me a description and I told them I would bring you to them in the middle of the Ball as she doesn't know anything besides that you're a Sky with orange eyes and a bandaged hand."

"A public place where everyone is wearing masks. Clever", Daemon murmurs, calm.

Tsuna doesn't feel like that. He feels its complete opposite. Someone is interested enough in him to know how he looks?

He's nervous.

Far too soon they find themselves in an isolated corner close to a balcony. The chandelier of the room is smaller than the main room but not less beautiful. Tsuna wants to be able to appreciate it but he can't not when his intuition is weirdly silent in the back of his head.

He momentarily stops, not because of the beautiful woman, who is clearly the boss by the aura she gives off and the faint accents of orange in her blue dress contrasting with her dark skin, but because of one of the people standing close to her.

Even with that simple domino mask, he can know who it is thanks to the Fedora and the yellow shirt.

Renato is here with a potential enemy.