Hi.
Solace of the Sky: Time off!
(Special No. 1 out of ?)
AN. So, being so amazed at the reception Solace of the Sky has had (over 100 favs and follows and 30+reviews), I decided to not be a lazy ass and actually celebrate by posting Specials, handing the possibility to choose what it'll be about to a lucky reviewer. While I don't think it contains many spoilers you should at least read ch 1-2 of Solace of the Sky for it to make sense. If you haven't tho, read at your own risk.
The idea/prompt/request goes to Antigone1Evenstar for being first reviewer of the latest chapter.
Enjoy.
Tsuna grumbled under his breath, still half-asleep and unhappily being led by his overenthusiastic Sky somewhere outside. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, as a headache threatened to hit, but still allowed to be towed along.
The Sky arcobaleno squinted at the sudden light as the door busted open by a certain demonic baby tutor.
"Are you ready?" Reborn asked both of them. The Gesso boy nodded happily and Tsuna just managed to suppress a yawn when the ground disappeared from under him and too late he noticed he's been thrown into an awaiting car.
He landed face-first on the cushioned backseat and he started flailing and protesting and complaining as Byakuran made him scoot over, his snarky side still not awake nor functioning. The hazy fog of sleepiness disappeared, however, when the doors closed and the car started to move. A suddenly aware brunet blinked once before he slanted a bland stare at his counterpart.
"Are you kidnapping me?"
"Why, of course I am!"
(x)
"Why?" The eternally tired —and currently confused— brunet asked, looking alternatively from Byakuran to Reborn and back. He pointedly avoided looking forward…nor downwards. Next to him, the Gesso boy wiggled on his safety equipment, making sure everything was in place.
"Aw, come on, it'll be fun!" He chirped as he finished with his own straps and started going over Tsuna's (he was not doing this, but knowing his tutor he'd die if he wasn't properly prepared). "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
"Plummeting down to my untimely death?" Tsuna replied flatly, eyeing Reborn worriedly as the baby balanced at the edge of the cliff they were currently on. Byakuran finished strapping Tsuna and Reborn handed them both their gliders —a non-assuming identical pair— and helped the teens with the final details. "I'm not going to do it, guys." He asserted, his trepidation since hearing they'd go air gliding having completely erased the question of why had he been hauled out of his house to do this.
"Oh come on, at least be thankful. Your tutor wanted you to bungee jump. This is better." Byakuran grinned at the pale face of the other, he started waving his overhead wing from side to side, showing it off. "And look, isn't it just awesome? How often do you come across such a chance?"
Tsuna was about to retort that there were classes that safely taught this sport when a current caught them both off guard— Tsuna almost kneeled, bracing himself, but Byakuran was cleanly swept off his feet.
"Whoa!" He exclaimed somewhere above them, and the frozen brunet saw how his friend adjusted, the whole thing shaking precariously before he started gliding. Byakuran whooped in joy as he turned and his smaller voice beckoned him over. Tsuna hesitated again, once he caught sight of the fall at his feet. But once again he was swept off his feet…and this time there was nothing but a eight hundred-meters drop below.
"REEEEBORN-!" He characteristically screeched, clinging to his glider for dear life. He was quickly caught by another ascending current and his shriek matched the movement. The air cooled around him and when he next opened his eyes, he felt even colder at seeing once more the way everything below him became even smaller.
Hewasgoingtodiehewasgoingtodiehewassodead. On and on the thoughts ran in his mind, as he instinctively reached inside himself for some way out—but no vision came out, as it was usual, in its place flames shot out from his hands. He immediately let go of the handles in fear of burning his only mean of transport and gave a very violent lurch forward, his safety straps on his torso the only connection he had to life. Or the glider, same difference.
He flailed his arms, shrieking even louder, but it got caught on his throat as he saw the glider he supposed belonged to Byakuran below him, gracefully arching upwards, sideways and wobbling before managing a smooth descent. Tsuna marveled at it, a bit jealous and slowly he climbed back on his position and tried making the glider dip.
Surprisingly enough, it obeyed his command without making him lurch out of control, there was a jump —when he changed currents— but nothing too abrupt. Byakuran noticed this and he fought his way to be level with the brunet. He grinned cheekily at the determination on his face, still remembering the utter fright he had worn just moments ago.
Slowly, pouting and whimpering and messing up, the brunet slowly lost the fear and soared the sky, amazed at the sights he could only see at this precise moment, at this precise height. He felt weightless, powerful…
Free.
Tsuna laughed freely for what felt the first time in forever as he raced Byakuran, He would not change this for anything.
The both Skies dared each other to do increasingly difficult plays in the air, twirling and racing each other and doing a rolling barrel midair. Tsuna won a race but he screwed up on his loop, and Byakuran managed to stop his heart by doing a ridiculous dive.
(They also bumped into each other and had to maneuver away from some obstacles and projectiles Reborn seemed to find fit to launch against them. Tsuna yelled himself hoarse many times, fearing for his life.)
(x)
The freedom had to end obviously. Reborn warned them that the currents were stopping and they stumbled their way to the ground.
As soon as Byakuran touched the ground, he lost footing and had to do a silly run to keep himself from falling, almost getting himself launched in the air again. Behind him he heard an ungainly cry and he felt more than heard Tsuna's glider getting caught on a low hanging branch.
A vision ended up assaulting the brunet as the crash returned him to reality, but it was a long road from now, years and years after and it was about a young redheaded adult building robots. He was about to connect the face to a name when he sneezed. And again. And again.
(x)
Tsuna sipped at his hot cocoa, still trying to bring his limbs to life. Byakuran had gotten a runny nose as well, as both teens realized how long they had spent airborne (their bones ached as well).
The brunet pretended to get a long sip so he could stare as Byakuran stretched without a care in the world besides his runny nose and as Reborn sipped at his coffee in contentment. If only every day was just like this one... He frowned at the thought, this special day, however, had really come out of the blue.
"Guys, what are we doing here?" Tsuna asked, squinting against the setting sun.
But before he's fully aware of it, he's being bundled in his blanket and tossed into the air again. At this rate he would not get a headache, he'd get a migraine!
(x)
Tsuna stared dubiously at his mirror reflection. The question of when and how he had changed nagging at his mind, but when the door threatened to open he had more pressing issues at hand. The Sky arcobaleno whirled in place, his half-trained instincts kicking in.
"Ready to go?" Byakuran asked playfully, sporting a deep blue yukata with silver linings at the bottom —exactly the same as Tsuna's only that his was a rich orange, lined with gold. The brunet was about to protest once again why was he doing this when he was being hauled again. At least this time he was allowed to walk.
(x)
Despite it not being such a long walk from his house to the town center, Tsuna's longsuffering face finally faded away as its owner got progressively tired. Actually they had just paused for Tsuna to regain his breath, just outside of the out-of-the-blue (and season) festival going on at full blast just a couple meters away from them. (Tsuna knew the Vongola was involved, he practically could feel the mafia-ness exuding from it.)
"OH! Sawada, you EXTREMELY came! Master Pao Pao was right!" A boisterous voice jolted Tsuna in his place, but before he had time to remember to get annoyed something warm and tasty was shoved in his face. The brunet went cross-eyed to distinguish the takoyaki and almost unconsciously biting into it.
Taking that as a sign of goodwill, Ryohei grinned to himself before slinging an arm around Tsuna (who immediately latched to Byakuran) and started hauling him into a quick tour, Byakuran having to follow without choice.
The strong and hyperactive athlete brought them over to another food stall, and before Tsuna had time to feel grateful for more food, he was dragging them to another and another and another, not allowing either of the others appreciate the food. It reached a point where Tsuna snapped and came to a stop so abruptly, the others stumbled.
"Don't you have anything else to do!" He spouted, as he wiped the sauce of his last failed attempt at eating what he had bought. Ryohei blinked at him owlishly and Byakuran took this chance to wolf down his own food. Seeing he was not going to get an answer, the brunet sighed, "Sasagawa, I appreciate the thought, but you really do not have to do this. Byakuran and I-"
"Tsuna? Oooi, Tsuna! Over here!"
The tail end of his phrase, the "will do just fine alone", died along with the thoughts of some calmness as Tsuna dejectedly saw Takeshi arriving at scene.
(x)
Takeshi dragged them to the games next and won most of them, forcing Tsuna into playing as well and consoling him as the brunet failed most. The brunet slapped the consoling hand away every time, but still sulkily accepted the apology goldfish from the baseball ace.
For some reason, Tsuna found it incredibly hard to try and act stand-offish.
He blamed it on the lights, and the music and the ambient and Byakuran's steady presence beside him. He found it hard to care why, though.
(x)
Tsuna was trying to figure out what to do when he spotted Hayato before he was hauled over to the Masks stall, one being pressed against his face almost instantly. He battled the hands off to see his counterpart wearing a fox mask that…actually suited him perfectly.
"Yours suits you fine, as well, oh Buddha!" The fox replied as if reading his thoughts and making Tsuna immediately take it off to see that, indeed his mask was of the fat kindly man known as Buddha. He was about to retort when he couldn't help but gape at someone else wearing a black oni mask. But never mind the mask, that mop of purple hair held in a pineapple style was unmistakable. Actually there were two of them.
"Chrome-chan! Muku-!" Was as far as he got before he was quickly shushed by the shorter oni. The still flabbergasted brunet blinked at her, staring straight at her single amethyst eye, before glancing back in growing alarm. He had belatedly remembered he had been sort of kidnapped by these two—if Reborn caught sight of them, heads would roll.
He could practically feel Mukuro's dramatic eye roll as Chrome whispered to him that the other was under an illusion, slight wonder in her tone and gaze. Tsuna was about to question what was up with her when Byakuran once again pounced on him, peeking his head from behind his shoulder.
"Who're them? You know 'em?"
"My name is Dokuro Chrome, he's my brother, Dokuro Kuro. It's nice finally meeting you, Byakuran-san." The falter at pronouncing the other's new name went unnoticed as well as Mukuro's silent sigh. The Mare Sky stared at them for a moment before pushing his face closer to Chrome's.
"Hush, who told you about my secret identity?" He whispered urgently, startling the girl, who started asking, looking at Tsuna, "keep my real name a secret, please. Nobody must know I'm Kitsune!"
Chrome faltered, Tsuna facepalmed, Mukuro wondered where this wackjob came from.
(x)
Somehow, his trail of ducklings had grown, Hibari Kyoya mused irritably as he stared at the center of all problems. Sawada Tsunayoshi had just unceremoniously plopped down on an open seat as Sasagawa Ryohei ordered some more food (he'd forgive the volume only because he had single-handedly upped their sales by a wide margin—he had to wonder though, where he was getting so much money) as his ever-present white-haired follower loitered around with a fox mask on. The baseball ace was also trying to strike up conversation with either the sitting herbivore, the fox omnivore or the other two loitering herbivores (one of whom had the weirdest hairstyles he had seen).
Even without taking into account the hiding bomber herbivore and the only true carnivore that dubbed himself a tutor, Sawada's herd kept increasing steadily. He nodded at Kusakabe when the other appeared to report, and he stood up, ready to begin the collect. He could bite them to death some other time.
…Actually he might not have time to properly bite them to death after the collect, but he'd have enough time to frighten the brown herbivore some.
With that in mind, he set off to collect debts.
(x)
One way or another, Tsuna found himself helping out at Sasagawa Kyoko's stand of chocolate bananas. Stupefied out of his mind, the teen mechanically dipped bananas whenever they started running out as Byakuran handled the customers and Takeshi took the money. Outside the stand, Kyoko's brother was announcing the stand, while Chrome and 'Kuro' both nibbled at their treats curiously. The one guilty for this set-up was not even there, having accompanied Kyoko to 'have a quick look around', leaving his student alone with a whole bunch of would-bes and a job.
Handling another chocolate-covered treat to Byakuran he couldn't help but blame it on Ryohei. The brother had eventually reached his sister's stand and seeing her eager to play games and buy food he had volunteered to watch over. Seeing her hesitating, Takeshi quickly offered his help as well. Tsuna and the three with the eyes of different shades of purple felt relieved for an instant before the brunet was literally hauled over the counter and dressed up with an apron.
Of course Tsuna got angry, recoiled from each of his would-be-friends and tried to leave, saying that he had no business helping out here and he was going to enjoy the rest of the festival, when Reborn appeared at his side as if he had always been there.
"Aren't you going to repay all the money Ryohei spent on the food you ate?"
And well, Tsuna tried his best, he tried his best at being an unassuming person with a distasteful character you wouldn't want to be friends with. He tried being a bad person, but…
Well, it was still a long way for that. Sometimes Tsuna hated being so honorable.
WHAM!
…Talking about things he hated.
"Got the money, eh, kiddies?" A gangster-like member of the Disciplinary Committee demanded, shoving his ugly face far too close to Tsuna, metal rod in his hands glinting menacingly. "The Committee needs its funds to run, y'know?" He 'explained' with a mocking grin. The man had chosen to approach the moment Ryohei was away and distracted. The Mists were still there, of course only watching from a safe distance.
Tsuna certainly hated his luck.
Fortunately Takeshi managed to dispatch the (for all intents and purposes) bully by cutting loose the belt on his pants with an innocent-looking kitchen knife and smiling sharply at him.
"I'm sorry," he had said, still smiling genially. The bully slowly noticed that the other was a bigger threat than expected given the growing fear on his face. "But the money of this stall doesn't belong to us. The owner isn't here, so I'm afraid we can't allow you to take it."
Tsuna's breath hitched and he suddenly couldn't look away from the broad-shouldered man practicing kendo on his own. His surroundings were unclear but he's suddenly being cornered by a pink-haired woman who pointed an accusing finger at him. Tsuna was then greeted with the sight of a recently-scarred wound on the Rain's chin.
The man suffered through the chewing out before pasting a strained smile on his face. "I'm fine." He seemed to be saying. The woman crossed her arms, calling him out on his bullshit.
Tsuna blinked back into reality, seeing an unscarred Takeshi fidgeting in place, facing him as if waiting to be complimented and the teen arcobaleno was about to ask him what was up when Byakuran spoke up.
"Oh. Kyo-chan."
Tsuna's head whipped so fast his neck cracked audibly and yelped lowly as the demon himself approached his stand, a mischievous glint in his eyes. That didn't bode well.
"On behalf of the wellbeing of Namimori, I've come to collect the respective tax." He said, a dangerous amusement showing on his face as he stared solely at Tsuna. "For you, an extra one for crowding so much."
"Uh, I didn't know such taxes existed…" Tsuna managed to say without his voice breaking, highly unnerved by the way Hibari wouldn't stop staring at him as if expecting something. Bored, the prefect clicked his tongue as he looked at the stall he had invaded and reached out for the cash register.
Without thinking, Tsuna slapped the hand away.
The brunet froze. Tonfas magically appeared. Byakuran tensed and Takeshi tried to calm the other down.
(x)
Tsuna was, once more, running away from the Demon that inhabited Namimori, skirting around people left and right —while behind him, Hibari bulldozed his way over. Takeshi had been knocked out as soon as he came in range of the tonfa and Byakuran had used that small distraction to toss Tsuna out of the stall and run away in the opposite direction. Tsuna was pretty sure both Mists were just enjoying the show.
Soon enough, the ever-present tiredness the arcobaleno suffered from returned tenfold, adding up the exercise he had done that day and rather than running he was stumbling now. The Vongola heir candidate managed to avoid a —that was definitively lethal— strike to his head by toppling headfirst to the ground. Too tired to even care, Tsuna stayed like that, unmoving, awaiting the blow of death.
Once more it did not come.
"Hibari. I believe that's enough playing around." The squeaky voice of his savior managed to keep unconsciousness at bay for a moment longer.
"I agree. Fight me." Hibari replied, his bloodlust skyrocketing at accomplishing his goal.
While the two jested, with Hibari trying to attack Reborn, the forgotten brunet managed to pick himself up and sat with his legs crossed. He remembered faintly his previous conversations with Hibari as he watched the prefect attack his tutor to no avail. As the stalls and games and decorations around the fighting two were obliterated, the boy sitting cross-legged amidst the rubble had just reached an epiphany.
He had just realized that he had gone from 'stinky herbivore' to plain bait.
He felt insulted.
(x)
"Found you. Up you go, Tsuna." His Sky's voice snapped him out of it and the brunet allowed himself to be tugged up. He leaned heavily on the older male, not caring he looked like a child as he rubbed his whole face tiredly. Byakuran discreetly nodded at Reborn in silence, thanking him. If Tsuna hadn't flown in the morning, if he hadn't had time to unwind almost alone, nothing of this would be possible. But Tsuna had lowered his guard and allowed himself time to have fun.
Tsuna was tired, but Byakuran wanted to go to just one more thing, promising he could sleep through it if he liked and the brunet went along.
(x)
As the fireworks went off far above them all, a drowsy Tsuna peered at them with half-lidded eyes, his head fully leaning against Byakuran.
"It was fun wasn't it? Today?"
A reluctant smile pulled at his lips, making him look as young as he really was. "It could have been worse."
Getting used to the sound of the fireworks, the brunet eventually fell asleep. Not before mumbling to himself, "I had lots of fun." Surprised, Byakuran stared at the younger male for a while before cracking a smile of his own.
Despite everything going around with their lives, knowing that Tsuna could still say those words to himself and smile like that gave hope to Byakuran.
Hope that everything might just turn out alright.
Fin
AN. There it is. Was done a while back but I've got to prepare for uni so was a bit busy (*mentally crying*). I thank again Antigone1Evenstar for such a good idea, especially since chapter 5 will be taking a sudden nosedive.
I'm still not sure how many specials/spin-offs they'll be, but I'm thinking four, for the chapter numbers. I'm still writing and fixing and structuring chapter five tho, do not worry about that. Do tell me what you thought.
And just because I can, here's a small teaser for chapter five:
"There's no need to give you the fakes as well. These are the real deal."/ Fon was the one to jerk a drained Reborn away from the body-/ Meanwhile, a certain blond barked order after order to his phone, pacing, waiting and trying not to tear his eyes off his son./ "How can you know this? Why haven't you said anything so-!" Lal demanded, accusing. /"Two years ago. The Momokyokai hideout."/
Enjoy the wait ;9.
Thank you for your continued support.