Contract

Chapter 35

Tsuna glanced around the long hallways, finding everything to be completely silent; a vast difference to the initial madness that had first broken out. The gunfire was gone, only the remnants remained, and at their position, they couldn't hear any footsteps in the hallways or the stairwell. The brunet didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do considering he had never been in a situation like this, so whatever Giotto said he followed without a second thought. He didn't want to act like some mindless puppet, but in this situation he would act as instructed. Tsuna knew his brother would keep him safe from their enemies and so he remained close by, never leaving his spot at Giotto's side.

The older sibling carefully opened the doors in their pathway, pressing his ears against the frames in hopes of hearing nothing on the other side. He took great care watching where he went and as they made their way to the stairs, they were gratefully met with no resistance. Meanwhile, the silence was engulfing, like it was taunting them with its constant state. Tsuna continued to find it odd that it was so quiet, but he never brought it up, not wanting to jinx themselves when everything was currently alright. Despite everything that was happening; the attack, the separation from his Assurers, he was actually getting some quality time with his older brother, even though it wasn't under the best of conditions. Regardless, it was time he rarely got (if ever) and he was seeing a side to Giotto that he hadn't witnessed in a long time, mostly due to their distance from each other. It was like they were kids again. Well, kinda. They weren't talking because of the area they were in and Tsuna didn't even know what they should talk about after all these years. In the end, the two siblings were awkward with each other, not even bothering to acknowledge each other's presence.

Every now and then while they were heading down the large magnitude of stairs towards the first floor, they could hear the echo of gunshots and yelling in the distance. Lucky for them, the closer they got to the bottom floor, the weaker it got. Giotto could already tell that the fight was just beginning to finish up, either the men were being taken care of or they themselves had won the fight. Either way, the brothers continued to remain quiet as they made their escape just in case, not wanting to draw attention. As they continued to descend, Tsuna would glance outside the windows at one side of the stairway momentarily, peering into the distance to see how the outside was reacting to the situation. However, much to his annoyance and confusion, there was nothing. He couldn't see the familiar sightings of red and blue sirens of the police cars flashing and knew instantly that they were all on their own.

As they reached the first floor, Giotto immediately went straight to the closed door and leaned against the side as he listened cautiously to the other side. Tsuna followed behind, keeping some distance just in case while watching where he stepped. The blonde closed his blue eyes, concentrating, before finally opening them to nod at the brunet. "It's clear." He stepped away from the wall, reaching out towards the handle to give it a sharp twist. "I don't hear or sense anyone on the other side, but be careful regardless. There's no telling what could happen. We may very well be walking into a trap."

"Right," Tsuna nodded his head, keeping close. He bit down on his bottom lip as he observed his brother closely. "Do you... think we'll come out alright?"

Giotto snorted as if it was the most foolish thing to ask. "Of course. We're the Sawadas, we always come out victorious." His tone of voice was slightly on the dull side, but it did its job of improving Tsuna's outlook. The blonde stretched his arm upwards, combing his fingers through his spiky hair. It shook out some of the dust and dirt that had collected within the locks, scattering it around him. "Now, come on. Let's go."

"Right."

The blonde twisted the knob and pushed it open, his sharp blue eyes peering over every object carefully. He looked towards the shadows and the light, watching for any movements that stood out immediately. Nothing, it was completely empty. Holding his breath, he carefully stood out into the open, his ears listening for any sound, for any indication that there was life on this floor besides them. However, all he saw was death.