MtNG Chapter 27 Rewrite
I can’t tell if this is moving too quickly or slowly, so this chapter will likely receive later edits. But onward I must go for now.
Chapter 27: Explanations
Speeding past his mother and Fuuta (who had stayed behind because Lancia had asked him to watch over Tsuna's mother and brother), Tsuna ran up the stairs and locked the door to his room. He stood staring at his room, his breath scrapping the sides of his throat as it constricted. He tried to ignore the panic, to stop it. His mother might knock on the room, wondering why he had run in without his usual greeting. She would ask why he wasn't out playing with his friends. And she would hear the tightness of his words. And she wouldn't believe his excuses. And she would worry. And…and…
"Tsuna, would you please let me in," said a soft voice. Tsuna stiffened. He couldn't face Fon. Not now, not when Tsuna had failed his sensei so completely. One glance at the open window and Tsuna decided he couldn't stay here. With a reckless regard for his well-being, he ran towards the window and leapt out of the room. He landed in a crouch and ran as fast as he could.
Wetness trailed down his cheeks, and he dashed into the school. He could sense Hibari, but Tsuna ignored the prefect and ran for the crack in the school's wall. He squeezed through and stumbled into the small gap. He fell forward, and his hands scrapped against the cement as they stretched out and failed to catch him. Red colored the palms as Tsuna brought them up to his face. He couldn't see anything besides the color. Everything was too blurry. But he was here, so it didn't matter.
A hiccup broke through his lips, and then another as the blurriness obscured his vision completely. Sobs echoed through the place. He curled into a ball and tried to keep the sound contained. Even though this place had never betrayed him, he couldn't be sure no one would find him here.
A warmth surrounded him as it always did. Not the heat that simmered under Tsuna's skin. This one was different, and it surrounded him from outside. He lifted his head and let it touch his flushed cheeks as he let his chin rest on his knees. The warmth cooled his cheeks, and the sobs stifled into sniffles.
"I haven't seen him!" yelled a frantic voice with a musicality that sounded familiar. Was that Dino-sensei?
"He came in this direction," said an oddly deep but still high-pitched voice. So Reborn was looking for Tsuna. The hitman must have been near the window in Tsuna's room when Tsuna jumped. Reborn wasn't the kind to use doors.
"I haven't seen either of my little bros since Mukuro—"
"I don't want your excuses," said Reborn harshly. Tsuna must be hearing things, because the small brunet thought he heard worry in the hitman's voice. "Get your men together and find him."
"Got it!" the blond man nearly shrieked. A small smile tugged on Tsuna's lips.
"You do realize they're speaking Italian," said a new voice. "But don't worry, I'll keep translating for you."
"HIIE!" screeched Tsuna as fell back in surprise. A man with white hair and brown eyes smiled at the fallen brunet. Fon would be disappointed further that Tsuna hadn't noticed the man earlier.
The man put a finger to his lips and pointed with his other hand to where the crack should be. Tsuna gazed at the man, a strange familiarity niggling in the back of his mind. He knew this man. The urgency in the second voice brought Tsuna's attention back to the conversation.
"…so he's got to be on the school grounds then?" asked Dino in a strained voice, as if he wanted to bolt at the first opportunity.
"Don't make me repeat myself, stupid student," said Reborn. A muffled shriek followed and slowly faded as the source of the shriek got farther away.
"Well, that was certainly an interesting conversation," said the man. "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?"
"U-um, who a-are you?" asked Tsuna.
"I'm Kawahira," said the man, opening a door that had not been there before. Or had it been there? "Come in."
Kawahira held up a hand, beckoning Tsuna to follow the man. Tsuna went through the door, and his eyes filled with the sight of a huge but cluttered room. Antique furniture from both Japan and the west formed a maze that was lit by various types of lamps. Kawahira maneuvered through the labyrinth with practiced ease, and Tsuna stuck close to the man in order to keep from getting lost. A hand ruffled his hair. "You won't get lost here. I won't let you."
Taking his hand off Tsuna's head, Kawahira led Tsuna past the different furniture and to a steel door. The man opened it and pushed Tsuna into a much less cluttered room. In the center of the room, a glass enclosed table stood with several gemstone figurines reflected on its surface from their perches on the two clear stands. In between the two stands, a coiled orange dragon roared, and Tsuna moved automatically closer to it.
"He's injured," said Kawahira.
"Why?" asked Tsuna. The anguish on the dragon's face echoed itself in the brunet's own heart, as if the pain was so great that Tsuna could feel it from the other side of the glass.
"His former owner betrayed him and left him encased in that sunstone, and his promised owner cannot take him," said the man, putting a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and steering the boy away from the display. "The kitchen's this way."
Tsuna pulled away from the man and took a step back, far enough away to avoid the man's grasp.
"Who are you?" asked Tsuna.
"I already told you, I'm Kawahira," said the white haired man. Tsuna didn't know a Kawahira, but this man felt familiar. The man reached out and patted Tsuna's head again. "You shouldn't ask a man who's known you six years to keep repeating his name."
"S-six y-years?" said Tsuna, his face heating as the thought clicked in his head. "Then you—"
"I have been watching you visit my side yard for the last six years. I would have come up and said hello, but you seemed so shy that I didn't want to frighten you away. I rarely entertain company as good as yours."
The small brunet his behind his hair, but the man bent down to lock gazes with the boy.
"I should have introduced myself earlier. I apologize. Do you forgive me?"
Still blushing, Tsuna nodded. He didn't want to think about all this man had heard from Tsuna's once daily visits, but…this man had probably been the reason Tsuna had kept returning to that small space. Even now, Tsuna could sense this man's aura, his presence, protecting Tsuna somehow. Still, that sensation didn't block out the fact that this man had no doubt seen Tsuna's childish display.
"Now onto the kitchen," said the man, grabbing Tsuna's shoulders and heading back in the direction of the kitchen.
"Um, Kawahira-san? I need to go. If Reborn finds me here, he won't like it," said Tsuna, struggling against the man's much firmer grip.
"I took care of it," said Kawahira. "It's too dangerous for you to go back with Namimori Middle's infamous head prefect and the world famous hitman hunting for you."
"But they—"
"I told you I took care of it," said the man as he pushed Tsuna into a small kitchen and towards a low table. "Sit down, sit down."
Tsuna obeyed, plopping down onto a cushion as the man busied himself in getting a teapot, a tea kettle, and clay tea cups.
"It's been so long since Sukai-chan came to visit," said the man as he set the cups on the table. "I was starting to worry that you would never come back."
"S-sukai-chan?" Tsuna squeaked.
"You never introduced yourself, so I had to call you something."
"My name's Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"Tsunayoshi, hm? A very regal name, but I think I prefer Sukai-chan."
"You can call me Tsuna," said the small brunette hurriedly. Between his mother's Tsu-kun and his classmates' Dame-Tsuna, he had enough bad nicknames already.
"Tsuna," said the man as if trying the name out. "Tsuna. It fits. Tsuna it is then."
Tsuna sighed in relief. The tea kettle whistled. Kawahira poured the hot water into the tea pot and then the steaming tea into the cups.
"You should be careful," the man said. "It's too hot right now."
"O-okay," said Tsuna, putting the cup carefully on the table.
"I'm not talking about the tea," said Kawahira, his brown eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "I'm talking about your situation."
"Hibari and Reborn won't kill me," said Tsuna as he rubbed the back of his head. "I think Hibari doesn't want to lose an interesting herbivore like that, and Reborn's got some agreement with Fon...maybe…"
"It's not them you need to worry about," said the man. "It's yourself."
"Me?" asked Tsuna, clutching the cup of cooling tea. It had a soothing smell.
"You," said the man. He sat on the other side of the table. "I did miss my frequent visitor, but I didn't mind so much when I saw that my special visitor had others surrounding him. It was better that you didn't come to my side yard so often anyway, since I had no intention to introduce myself. I was much too content to see you whenever you appeared, and it was hardly a good idea for our acquaintance to go further. But after the stunt you pulled with Rokudo Mukuro and now your refusal to see what is right in front of you, I couldn't just watch anymore. I don't want my favorite visitor to end up dead."
Tsuna fiddled with the cup as he ducked under his hair. The man took a sip, and the room fell to silence. This quiet presence had his tongue forming words. How often had this man stood by that door and listened to Tsuna chatter and babble about anything and everything? The though disconcerted him, but…if the man had listened for so long, maybe one time more wouldn't hurt.
"Would it really matter?" asked Tsuna quietly. "I…I'm not that important. If I disappeared…"
"It would matter to me," said Kawahira equally quiet, though his tone held a softness where Tsuna's had held hollowness. "And it's not only me. It never was. Your mother would suffer from your absence. Who would help her up when her husband isn't there for her? And your brother. Who else would have the patience to put up with such a brat?"
"Mom would have Tamaki," said Tsuna tiredly. He had never spoken the words out loud before. "And Tamaki would have Mom. And maybe he would come back for a while…"
"Your mother would collapse because your brother could never take your place. And he would be too impacted from losing you to try. And it's not only them anymore. Your friends would be crushed."
"M-my friends?" asked Tsuna. He hadn't given much thought to their reactions. He made them bentos, so they might miss the lunches. He sparred with Hibari, and the prefect might have a hard time finding someone else to fight. Hana tutored Tsuna and made Tsuna's lunch so the small brunet would have one less to do, but that only meant she would have more time to herself. Gokudera basically did whatever the silver haired teen could to make Tsuna happy when he should be making himself happy. And Takeshi…Takeshi… "They would be better off without me."
"Hm," the man hummed through his tea. He set the cup down, and cold dark brown eyes looked over the thick lenses and assessed Tsuna. "How?"
"Hibari would find an opponent who wouldn't hold back on him," Tsuna said. Goosebumps prickled his skin, but he ignored them. He refused to look away from those cold, cold eyes. "Hana wouldn't waste so much time trying to get me to understand stuff that even Takeshi gets. Gokudera would think about himself more. And Takeshi…Takeshi would play baseball and wouldn't be thinking about giving up his dream."
Quicker than Tsuna could register the movement, the man had knocked Tsuna over the head with a fan. Tsuna rubbed his head, wondering why it seemed to be such a popular target. Both Hibari and Reborn liked to hit him there. And that fan hurt! It didn't feel real, but it hurt. What was wrong with this man?
"You have a brain in there," said the man, the fan disappearing in a cloud of indigo flames. Tsuna blinked, and his mouth dropped open in an "oh." The man was an illusionist like Rokudo Mukuro. "It could use more exercise, I suppose, but it's there. It could use a jump start right now though."
A hand waved in the air as it cleared the remnants of the indigo smoke. The smoke swirled and settled onto the hand and hardened into a strip of long fur that slithered down the man's arm and settled across the man's shoulders. He tapped patted one of the fur ends and focused his gaze back on Tsuna.
"The girl, Hana, likes tutoring you. She would be bored in class otherwise since she has the second highest grades next to your friend Gokudera. And while that boy does have an unhealthy fascination with you, it's better you than your brother. And with a little more work, you can help snap him out of it. As for Takeshi, it's his decision to leave baseball. If it weren't for you, no one would have stopped him from jumping off the school roof and either dying or ending any baseball career he could have had."
Tsuna's mouth closed in a line. The man wasn't right. He couldn't be. Tsuna opened his mouth to contradict Kawahira's confused conclusions.
"Sh," said Kawahira putting his finger to his lips again to emphasize the sound. "I'm not done. You'll get your turn when that brain of yours has finished jump starting. I don't see sparks yet."
What was the man talking about? Tsuna sighed and brought the cup of tea to his lips.
"Maybe I do see sparks," said the man with an easy grin. "I'm sure that you can guess what would happen to your Yamamoto-san if his son jumped off the roof. He hasn't ever completely recovered from his dear Mako's death, and his son's would have pushed him too far. And for that family to disappear would be a great loss for this world.
“Your adoptive siblings, I-pin and Lambo, would have nowhere to go. I-pin would lose her childhood too soon, and Lambo would never have one to begin with. His entire famiglia except his boss and father have been trying to get rid of him for years. They don't want to deal with a spoiled brat.
“And then there is your sensei. He would probably perfectly content if he hadn't met you. He's the kind who is hard to provoke or anger. He would smile, though it would be less and less as his precious student would become stained in black and red and he could do nothing to stop it.
“And believe it or not, that new tutor of yours benefits from your presence. He would have ended up going too far and nearly kill your brother, losing the trust of all the people he respects in this world and driving him down a road of self-destruction. And I think I see enough sparks that I do not need to explain what would have happened to your newest protector, Lancia."
The tea cup had returned to the table. Tsuna clutched it tightly in his grip. Kawahira had to be lying, but he wasn't. Tsuna could tell that the man was telling the truth. Or at least the man thought he was telling the truth.
"What…why do…how?" asked Tsuna, the words slipping and sliding on his tongue. Kawahira smiled.
"The information came from a very reliable source," said the man. "He has very good insights on what would happen if certain things were different. Thankfully, that is only one scenario in millions. A world without Sawada Tsunayoshi is a terrible one indeed."
Tsuna hid behind his hair, obscuring his view of Kawahira. The man was telling the truth. The bottom of the teacup had a splash of tea left. The tea had tasted wonderful, a blend of tastes and smells that Tsuna hadn't had before. He wondered if Kawahira would teach the small brunet how the man made it.
"Tsuna," came a whisper. Tsuna's head shot up at the closeness of the words. Kawahira smiled from where he sat right next to Tsuna. Tsuna hadn't noticed the man move. Dark brown eyes, warm and soft, held Tsuna still. "It is more than worrying, it is insulting to those who care about you that you think of your life as worth nothing. There is much good done when someone like you puts others' lives first, but you cannot discount your own. You have to put the same effort you use to protect other's lives to protect yourself. And it is not as if you don't have help. Your friends want to protect you as much as you want to protect them."
Tsuna blinked in an effort to break the spell of those eyes, but he couldn't ignore the truth in those words. Images flashed across his mind, of Hana lecturing the small brunet on his brother or standing between the prefect and Tsuna, of Gokudera threatening Tamaki and speaking in those musical words that sounded like lifelong oath, of Lancia refusing to leave Tsuna's side even under Tsuna's continual pleas, of Lambo and I-pin clinging and begging their 哥哥 not to leave, of Tsuyoshi picking Tsuna up and putting him on the bed, of Fon and Reborn teaming up to get Tsuna to rest, of Takeshi letting Tsuna cling to the taller brunet when no one else had…
Of Takeshi's back with the red tint on the taller brunet's sword, the swordsman refusing to turn around as he declared that he wouldn't see Tsuna until the small brunet would fight seriously. Why did that back suddenly look so taut and strained? As if Takeshi wanted to turn around and wrap an arm around Tsuna's shoulders like always and say he was kidding.
"Ah," said Kawahira, clearing away the image away with the sound. Tsuna watched dazedly as the man stood. "Now that your brain's working properly, I guess it's time to take care of those injuries. That gash on your arm isn't too deep. A sword cut was it? Whoever is playing with swords around you has pretty good restraint. A sword sharp enough to make that cut could have taken off your entire arm easily. Better go get the bandages. Stay here until I get back."
Tsuna nodded absently, as the image came back. He could see it clearly now, and the small brunet clenched his fists hard enough for the scrapes on his palms to scream. He had failed them. He should have listened to what his friends had been saying.
-break-
The small brunet stumbled into his room near midnight and nearly gave Fon a heart attack. When had Tsuna gotten good enough to come within only a few feet of Fon before the martial artist noticed the boy? Tsuna didn't seem to notice Fon a first, and Fon was glad that the martial artist had never hidden himself from the boy before to this extent (not quite expert but higher intermediate at least). Tsuna's ability to sense things was incredible, and if the boy had been unable to sense Fon before at this level, Tsuna would adjust and sense the arcobaleno .
Doubtless the boy would become harder to hide from at this level once Fon revealed himself, but Fon wanted to observe his student first. The boy had one of his sleeves clipped closed, the same sleeve that had made little resistance against Takeshi's sword. As the boy tugged the top to take it off, the sleeve fell back in for an instant, and bandages peeked out. So wherever the boy had been, he had taken care of his injuries. Fon decided to step in and interrupt the boy's action before it became awkward for his student.
"Where have you been?" asked Fon, startling both the boy and himself. Fon had meant to lead up to that question calmly. He had wanted his student to understand the seriousness the offense of disappearing on his teacher was. But the question had escaped the martial artist's mouth before Fon could stop it.
"Fon-sensei," said the boy quickly, reddening as he pulled the shirt back into its proper position. "I…I-I was…"
"Reborn couldn't find you," said Fon, finding himself in front of the boy. When had he become so covert with his words? Reborn hadn't been the only one searching and not finding anything.
"That was Uncle Kawahira's fault," said Tsuna, with an attempt at a smile. The small, lopsided quirk of his lips couldn't match the smile that the boy wore whenever Tsuna finished a set perfectly and Fon complimented the boy on the achievement. Or when I-pin begged for another spar simply to play with the older boy in the only way she knew how. Or when the new Bovino boy hung to Tsuna and whined for another batch of the older boy's sushi. No, that twist marring the boy's lips could not be called a smile.
"Uncle Kawahira?" asked Fon, ignoring a strange twinge in his stomach when he registered the form of address. It shouldn't matter what his student called an acquaintance. And Fon had already proven himself unworthy of that title.
"Y-yes," said the boy. Fon wanted to smile at his student's perception, but the arcobaleno couldn't muster the energy necessary to try. He would have felt his age if he weren't in this cursed body. Suddenly, the boy's body tensed, and Tsuna dropped into a deep bow. "I-I'm so sorry."
"What for?" asked Fon, sharper than he intended.
"For everything," said the boy softly. "I…I disrespected your teachings. I didn't…you taught me to defend myself and those around me, and I…I didn't defend myself. And I…I'm sorry that I have been holding back when I shouldn't. I should…I should show my opponents what the Kaze Ryu can really do."
Fon felt the smile he couldn't dredge up earlier pulling at his lips. His student was beginning to understand. Whoever this "Uncle Kawahira" was, he had Fon's thanks. But Tsuna didn't understand fully yet. The martial artist stretched out a hand and patted the brown hair that almost reached his height. The small brunette looked up in surprise, and the smile stretched Fon's lips fully.
"Give me your hand," said Fon. Tsuna cocked his head slightly but stretched out one of his hands. Fon motioned for the boy to sit, and Tsuna did, shifting automatically into seiza position as the boy did for Fon's explanations.
Fon took the hand, pulling it slightly closer so that his free hand could encircle the boy's wrist. A thrum met Fon's fingers, and something inside Fon's chest eased. His lips gave in and quirked upwards.
"This is how I know that the Kaze Ryu has done what it has to."
The confusion on the boy's face was both endearing and frustrating. Fon squeezed the wrist slightly, and the large brown eyes flickered to it. Comprehension finally filled the large brown eyes.
"Sensei?"
"Master," said Fon. The word flowed out his mouth, but Fon didn't want to take it back. He would worry about the Triad later. I-pin was much too attached to the boy to separate them now, and no one had taken to the Kaze Ryu as this boy had. Fon had always striven to be honest with himself, but he wondered why even in his thoughts he was skirting around the truth. Perhaps he had been around a certain hitman too long.
"M-master?" asked Tsuna, almost choking on the word.
"Yes, master," said the martial artist, staring straight into those perceptive brown gaze. "I want to make sure that the Kaze Ryu continues to do what it has to."
One last time, the martial artist let the tiny thrumming beat help him breath, and then Fon let go. He bypassed Tsuna with a greater ease than normal, thanks to the fact that the boy had frozen. The boy stirred quickly and would have said something in protest, but Fon didn't like pointless arguments.
"I will come back when you are changed for bed," said Fon as he opened the door. "I suggest you do it quickly, as your tutor has a tendency to be violent when worried."
Fon exited and closed the door behind him, but not before catching the quiet squeak of terror that came from the boy. Opening the window, Fon held out a hand and waited for a brown beetle to land on one of Fon's outstretched fingers.
"Good evening, little one," said Fon. The insect opened its wings in response. Fon took a moment to marvel at the versatility of the sun attribute before lifting the beetle up to eye level. "Tell your master that our little sky is back home."
The beetle might have lifted one of its foreleg in a strange sort of salute before flying off into the night sky. Fon followed the insects trajectory and determined that his student had about eight minutes before chaos descended into Tsuna's room.
-break-
The hitman hadn't spent more than a second comprehending the beetle’s message before running full speed to the Sawada residence. He had a student to discipline, and no one, not even Fon, was going to get in his way. Kicking the rightmost window open, Reborn landed in front of the small brunet (too close, the hitman hadn't been able to tell where the boy was from outside the room). Breaking through the boy's guard like it was paper, the hitman knocked the boy to the floor.
"You have five seconds to start explaining," growled the hitman, standing on the boy's chest and pointing Leon in gun form at the brat's forehead. The chameleon had taken the form without much prompting from the hitman.
"E-explain wh-wha—ow!" Dame-Tsuna dared to stutter. The boy would have rubbed the new bruise under his chin, but the hitman didn't give him the chance.
"Four."
"W-wai—wait!"
"Three."
"Explain what!"
"Two."
"I was at Uncle Kawahira's store!" blurted the former weakling in desperation. The hitman considered shooting the boy anyway, but since the hitman didn't want to ruin his delicately laid plans by having to explain why he shot the elder twin with the Dying Will Bullet, Reborn refrained.
"And who is that?" asked the hitman almost calmly as he subtly checked the boy's condition. Other than the boy's bandaged arm and bruised chin, Dame Tsuna had no new injuries, nor did the boy act like he had suffered mentally in the short absence.
"A-a friend," said Dame-Tsuna, and the hitman could almost see the smile that would have glowed on the boy's face in any other situation. Good. The boy had a healthy fear of the hitman. As such, Reborn would let that small stutter slide.
"And where does this friend live?" asked Reborn. The hitman had made Dino all but turn Namimori upside down looking for the former weakling.
"I-I—I'm sorry, Reborn, b-b—but he told me n-n—not to tell you," said the boy, fighting to keep the stutter under control. The hitman humphed, obviously displeased with the boy's answer.
"You came earlier than I expected," said Fon, making his presence known. The hitman ignored the other arcobaleno and glared at the boy. Reborn's body shook with the tremors coming the former weakling's body, and the brown eyes were wide with fright. But Dame-Tsuna kept his mouth closed. Reborn clicked his tongue, startling the boy further, and then hopped off the boy's chest. Only his chosen student could quail under the hitman's glare and still say nothing.
"How much later did you expect me?" asked the hitman. Changing topics was a good way to verbally unbalance your opponent.
"I expected you in eight minutes, but it hasn't been five," said the martial artist with that infuriatingly knowing smile. "You must have come full speed to get here in that amount of time."
"Leon was worried," said the hitman, allowing the chameleon to shift back and climb onto the hitman's fedora. The chameleon curled up against the fedora's orange band, probably intending to rest now that Dame-Tsuna's location had been discovered and leave the rest to his master.
"Lichi was as well," said the martial artist. The hitman refused to react to the concession in the tone.
"Why don't you go check on him then?" said the hitman.
"I will," said Fon. "As soon as Tsuna is safe and in bed. As his master, I have to make sure that he's well rested."
Reborn stilled for an instant as he registered the change of address. Given the redness in the former weakling's face, the boy also understood what that title meant. But then the martial artist was one of those people who were transparent to the point of being opaque.
"So then the storm got caught up in the sky," Reborn said with a smirk. The martial artist smiled complacently, and the hitman's smirk twisted into a scowl. The former weakling glanced between the two arcobaleno, and Reborn whipped out his favorite non-Leon pistol and pointed it at the boy's head. Dame-Tsuna's head jerked to a stop, and the brown eyes quivered as they stared down the barrel of the gun.
"What did this Uncle Kawahira do?" demanded the hitman. The former weakling shifted uncomfortably as he sat in seiza like he would for Fon's lectures.
"H-h—he fed me tea and bandaged my arm," Dame-Tsuna whispered. The hitman continued to stare, adjusting the grip on the gun. The shifting turned into squirming. "…he showed me his shop…?"
Reborn clicked the safety on the gun.
"H-h—he fed me more tea? A-a—and he showed me how to make it. And he gave me a gift and—"
"What gift?" interrupted Reborn. Shakily, Dame-Tsuna reached under the collar of his blue pajama top. A pendant dangled from the chain that had been his father's, the one his mother had given Dame-Tsuna on his birthday. The pendant was dark glass encircled by a platinum frame that stuck out in two points at the side. The glass itself seemed to catch the darkness instead of the light, shadows flickering through its many facets.
"Where did he get that?" asked Fon, stepping forward. The hitman gazed warningly to the martial artist, whose smile twitched in amusement. Reborn's scowl darkened.
"H-h—he has a-a—an antique shop," said the former weakling, shivering under the tense atmosphere. Fon's smile disappeared and was replaced by a concerned frowned. The martial artist gave Reborn a version of the hitman's earlier look. Reborn snorted and allowed the former weakling take a much needed deep breath.
"So he had it among his antiques," prompted Fon. Reborn tilted his fedora forward to block the view of his eyes rolling upward at the martial artist's coaxing. Their student did not need to be babied.
"Yes," said the boy, trying to focus on Fon in between frequent glances at Reborn's pistol. The hitman's shadowed smirk probably wasn't helping Dame-Tsuna's concentration. "Uncle Kawahira said he'd been waiting for the right person to give it to."
"And he thought that was you?" asked Fon gently. Outside of martial art training, the storm arcobaleno was too soft on the boy. Enemy famiglie would not let the boy get comfortable before answering questions.
"He said it fit the chain perfectly," said Dame-Tsuna, still warily eyeing the hitman's gun. Reborn's smirk sharpened. The boy should never ignore a potential threat.
"May I see it?" said the martial artist, stretching out a hand to take the pendant. The former weakling didn't hesitate to loop the chain over his neck and hand the necklace to the martial artist, forgetting the hitman's presence.
"HIIE!" shrieked Dame Tsuna as the boy leaned backwards enough to keep the bullet from grazing his cheek. Reborn smirked. All those "tutoring" sessions with the former weakling had helped Dame-Tsuna's reaction time in regards to bullets headed towards him. So the brat's irritating nature had come in handy. The martial artist glared at the hitman, who continued to smirk. The boy was not only the storm arcobaleno's student any longer. The warmth filling the room caused both arcobalenos to temporarily forget their silent argument. That warmth, it belonged to only one person. Tsuna held the chain and pendant in his hand. "Is something wrong?"
"Dame-Tsuna, where did that man get that?" demanded Reborn. The former weakling stared slightly sideways at the hitman.
"Uncle Kawahira brought it out from his back room," said Dame Tsuna, and the warmth settled fully and faintly into the room. The hitman could sense the boy perfectly now.
"Tsuna, where is your birthday present from Tsuyoshi-san?" asked Fon. Dame-Tsuna gave the martial artist a similar stare to the one the hitman had gotten, but he scurried over to the bed and pulled something out from underneath it. A familiar 3-inch box sat in the former weakling's hand. The hitman had wondered if the boy had kept it or not. He should do a thorough search of the room next time he had the opportunity and see what other secrets his student kept hidden in here. A burst of orange came from the box as the lid flipped open and the contents leapt in an orange ray onto the boy's empty hand.
A shining platinum pendant connected to an orange band glittered in the boy's palm along with a stick of dynamite, a faded storybook, and a crayon scribbled paper. Reborn held back a snort, deciding that the boy's room wouldn't be worth the search. If these were the boy's treasures, the former weakling probably had nothing worth knowing in this room.
The hitman put the safety back on the pistol as he felt his fingers tighten around the trigger. The stupid martial artist smiled gently at the boy again, but the hitman could see the subtle sharpness tainting Fon's movements. Fon took hold of the orange band and held the first pendant up next to the one Dame Tsuna had placed on the bed, and the platinum frame of the one on the chain caught the light in such a way that it flashed slight indigo. That color…The one in Fon's hand seemed to flash orange in response. The two arcobaleno's exchanged glances.
"What is it?" asked Dame-Tsuna, the brown eyes flittering between the two arcobaleno. Fon gave the hitman a look that could have been curious if not for the hardness of the gaze. The hitman barely held back another snort. Reborn did not need the martial artist's consent to teach the boy the things the former weakling needed to know.
"There is a legend among the Vongola," said Reborn as the martial artist place the orange glinting emblem next to the indigo glinting on Tsuna's bed. "About the Primo's involvement with the most famous craftsman of the time. The man's name was whispered among all in either reverence or fear.
“The story says that the Primo did something to impress the craftsman, and so the craftsman gave one set of his most powerful objects to the Primo. Those objects became known as the Vongola rings which are passed down from generation to generation of Vongola, both because of the power they represent and the fact that no one outside the Primo's blood family can wield them. But as amazing as the rings were, there were also two other sets of objects to balance them out, and the three sets together supposedly keep the world's power in balance. The craftsman had merely entrusted one set to Primo and his descendants."
The hitman paused. Reborn could see confusion and doubt decorating the boy's gaze, but it remained attentively on the hitman, taking in what the hitman was saying. The fedora tilted downward to shadow the hitman's face and obscure the quirk of the lips that the boy might confuse for a smile.
"They say that the craftsman stayed nearby the Vongola headquarters to make sure that the rings were in good hands and to look for people to entrust the other sets to," continued the hitman, a hand finding its way to his pacifier. "But the craftsman's skills were legendary, and so people from all over the world sought him out to beg and plead for his skills. He was said to be eccentric and did things his own way."
A third snort threatened to burst from the hitman, but Reborn settled for gripping his pacifier harder and continued.
"So he helped some, but others he ignored completely. Many left unsatisfied, and so the craftsman gained many enemies. One of them stole the craftsman's most treasured possession. The craftsman nearly went mad trying to retrieve it, and the Primo ended up stepping in and retrieving it for the craftsman.
“In return, the craftsman bound himself and his work, save the other two sets of objects, to Vongola for all time. As proof of his oath, the craftsman forged seven emblems, one for the Primo and each of his guardians. The Augurio supposedly held great power, gathered from the Primo and his guardians themselves, but their purpose was never fully explained. The craftsman had only said that they would come in handy one day.
“He insisted that the Augurio would aid Vongola one day, when the famiglia needed them most and that the Primo and his guardians should keep a close eye on them. But the emblems were lost over time, after the Primo took them with him when he and his guardians came to Japan. Many have tried to find the Augurio, but most believe that they never existed."
"These belong to Vongola?" asked Dame-Tsuna, staring at the two emblems and picking them up.
"Yes," said the hitman, a cheeky grin overcoming his face. "And that means that fate acknowledges you as the proper Vongola Decimo."
"W-what! No! Tamaki's the Vongola Decimo!" exclaimed the boy, frantically waving his hands in front of him. The emblems stayed firmly in the boy's grip along with the boy's pathetic treasures. "Not me! I'm not—"
"You shouldn't fight fate, Dame-Tsuna," said Reborn.
"Fate shouldn't fight Tsuna," said Fon, the sharpness in his movements becoming less subtle. A small smile bloomed on the boy's face at the martial artist's words, and Reborn snapped the safety off his pistol and pointed it towards the former weakling.
"Keep that on at all times," said the hitman using the pistol to point to the chain and emphasize the importance of the command. The boy's smile faded as he nodded quickly and leaned back to gain the optimal position to dodge bullets from said pistol. However his head was now in full view of the window. "Get to bed. You have school in the morning."
Nodding again, the boy immediately got up to obey the command and quickly moved his head away from the window's line of vision. After the boy was wrapped in the covers on the bed, the martial artist leapt onto it and patted the boy's unruly hair.
"I-pin and Lambo expect you to stop by tomorrow," said the martial artist.
"Fon-sen- um…Shishō," the former weakling whispered softly, hardly breathing the word. "C-could you tell Takeshi that…that tomorrow after school?"
The martial artist's eyes reflected the hitman's own surprise.
"He will be surprised to hear back from you so soon," said Fon.
"Uncle Kawahira…he made me see what I couldn't," said the boy, turning away from the martial artist, but the moonlight didn't hide the redness emanating from the boy's skin. A deep breath rocked the boy's form, and he turned back, that orange glaze coloring the normally brown eyes. "I won't let you down this time."
"He's safe and in bed," interrupted the hitman. "You should get back before Lichi worries."
Fon's expression regained that amused air. "Of course. I will pass on your message."
Leaping off the bed, the martial artist leapt from the bed and passed the hitman.
"Tsuyoshi has two other emblems," said the martial artist before exiting. The hitman refused to look back and give the storm arcobaleno the satisfaction of seeing the hitman's surprise. It seemed fate really was more on Dame-Tsuna's side.
-break-
Random Notes (Kawahira Edition + Chapter):
Kawahira:
-he’s the owner of Tsuna’s “secret place”; he hid Tsuna from bullies originally because he was not completely heartless (if more than a bit done with human affairs)
-impressed that Tsuna to a certain extent instinctively sense his presence (not that Tsuna knew for sure it was a person—just that someone was listening)
-he had let Tsuna in because of pity and the purity of his sky flames
-also let Tsuna overhear the Rokudo situation from Dino and Romario because he wanted to see what Tsuna would do
-His fondness for Tsuna is why he stepped in during Reborn and Fon’s fight in the hospital
-also can to a certain degree mess with Tsuna’s hyper intuition (he is an Earthling and ancient); that’s why Tsuna didn’t recognize that Checkerface “felt” the same way his secret place did (he felt nothing from Checkerface because Kawahira erased his presence from Tsuna’s hyper intuition)
-gives Tsuna a hint when it comes to his secondary flames
-finally full steps in to help Tsuna because Kawahira saw the same flaws that caused his Sky to fall growing in Tsuna; Kawahira does not want another sky he cared about to break under the strain of holding itself up alone
-He has a fun back-and-forth who is creepier relationship with Byakuran; he often wins
-once he becomes active in Tsuna’s life, he is fully involved though mainly from the shadows unless he feels it necessary (or fun) to step out of them
-had the mist Augurio because he took it away from Daimon’s family once he went insane for the safety of the Tri-ni-sette (the Augurios are powerful)
Chapter:
-You know where Fon says “When had Tsuna gotten good enough to come within only a few feet of Fon before the martial artist noticed the boy?”—Yeah, Tsuna’s not that good. Kawahira was helping hide him until Tsuna was okay with being seen to a certain extent. Why else would he give Tsuna an Augurio? (Hm…I really tied these tightly to my story, didn’t I?)