.:.

Of Their Meeting

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Green. Luscious, dark, bright and nearly transparent, the green trees tangled themselves over a worn dirt path, littered with dead and dry brown leaves. The trees lined themselves neatly along the trail, bending along as though leaning and reaching towards the thatch-roof of a worn down mansion peering from the end of the road. Birds twittered softly, whispering to each other in tender, harmonious sighs, and the cicadas chimed loudly and then gently, like the waves of the sea. Dusty rays of sun dripped from the patches between the foliage, staining small spots on the dirt path a golden yellow, revealing a blue beetle glimmering in the dead leaves, like a small precious jewel.

A crackle of leaves came from the darker and damper area in the path leading deep within the forest and the twittering of birds hushed. Cicadas chimed hesitantly. A black booted foot crushed down upon the dead leaves lightly, sending crackling sounds bouncing against the unkempt and beautifully overgrown scenery. A man, holding a long staff in his gloved hands, took a step forward again, foot nearly crushing the blue beetle scurrying away in fright. The tails of his long black coat floated loosely behind him and the front was left open to expose his cleanly pressed dress shirt beneath it, a pure white amongst all the black and green. His red and blue eyes landed on the old stone mansion at the end of the path and the man watched it wistfully.

"I've found you at last..." The man whispered to no one in particular. His eyes darted to the little beetle on the ground and, as though catching the man's gaze, it scurried under another leaf with haste. A sweet smile spread across the man's lips. His eyes returned to the old building, still curiously peering over the crown of the trees at all who ventured through the forest, and he stepped forward once more, long blue hair floating behind him while the tufts of hair at the top of his head waved teasingly in the wind. His feet left behind a path of crumbling dead leaves, and without missing a heartbeat, he stepped upon the small beetle, easily, leaving it to squirm and twitch for its small life under its weak shield of decaying leaves.

As the man left the thick forest trail, he felt the sun engulf him in its glaringly bright rays. But his eyes did not stray from the small, nearly church-like mansion, sitting cozily in between the slopes of the yellowing hills and the clumping deep green forests. One of its walls had been claimed by the strong clutches of ivy and the wooden windows of the mansion looked almost as though they would splinter at any second. A long stretch of tall yet crumbling walls formed a tentative barricade around the worn mansion, and the man strode down a small pathway littered with weeds, reaching a large black and rusting gate almost instinctively. The gate stood upright against the end of the walls, one of its doors swinging open back and forth in the wind, and a barking sound of laughter erupted from the other side of the crumbling walls, forming a cacophonous chorus against the steady screeching of the black gates. The man slipped inside, eyes shifting from left to right in interest. A lonesome cellar stood nearby one of the outer walls and as the man approached it, he felt something warm float out from within. The man moved to stand behind it—in the grassy space between the cellar and the outer walls surrounding the entire area—and he peered in through the open but barred window. His eyes widened slightly when he found a pale white flower, poking up from the barren ground, glowing and shimmering in the rays of weak sun shooting in through the window. The man smiled again, eyes now lighting up in a calculating manner. "He's close. Kufufu..."

The peals of laughter erupted again from his right and he lifted his mismatched eyes from the lonely flower in the prison-like cellar towards the field hidden by a section of the mansion. He drew himself away from the strange warmth pulsing from the cellar and pushed himself back into the crisp wind. Another wave of soft warmth wrapped around his body once before floating slowly away in the direction of the field behind the building, where the laughter came from. The man smirked and followed the warmth simply, striding closer and closer to the sounds of loud and barking laughter.

In the field, a group of young men and women crowded together, shouting and laughing at some poor creature cowering against the outer wall. The man watched silently from the side as a young man sent a harsh kick into whatever thing they were grouping around so horribly. The young women laughed and a few of them leaned down to poke long and hard at the thing they were making fun of.

"Awww, does this hurt, No-Good-Tsuna? Does it hurt?" They jested, jabbing the one nicknamed No-Good-Tsuna over and over again with their fingers.

"What a liar," One of the young men smirked snobbishly, patting his hands over his pants as though he were wiping away grime, "Can you stop trying to attract attention by pretending it hurts already? What a loser. Still trying to do the same thing even after all these years... you must be dumb in the head or something."

A young woman sneered and spat nastily, "You sure don't know your limits. How dare you defile Aura's legend? The only way it would actually hurt is if you were a girl, like Aura. And besides, you have to actually love us for it to actually hurt."

"Hahaha! How can he possibly love us after all these years of being treated so badly by everyone he knows?"

"Eww, I don't want No-Good-Tsuna to love me. That's disgusting...!"

"Aww, stop it! Stop saying it. It's already disgusting to look at him. Let's just go get Miss Popritte and tell her No-Good-Tsuna tried to attack us again with his 'powers'."

"Okay! I bet he'll be thrown back into the cellar again. Serves him right."

"Naw, maybe he'll get flogged again! After all, that's what he deserves for defiling Aura's reputation."

And then the throng of young men and women dispersed, giggling while heading in through a large and decaying wooden door against the side of the building. The man felt the warm air float beside him again and he needed no further nudge to move towards the skinny and frail looking boy balled up against the molding wall. The warm air flew past him and the man figured that whatever the warmth was, it was now trying to comfort the young boy sitting before him. As the man stepped closer, he gazed at the boy's head of messy chestnut hair strewn with grass and soil. His eyes fell upon the thinning shirt hanging loosely on the boy's torso and the tattered jean pants worn light blue from years of chafing. The man watched as the boy's head lifted and sent a weak smile towards his shoulder. And then, the boy turned his head upward, staring open mouthed at the tall man towering over him. The boy's eyes were amber, glowing and sparkling with undying hope and warmth. The man's gaze softened and he knelt down before the boy, eyes darting from the bruises and burns upon the boy's face to his amber colored eyes again.

"I have found you... Sawada Tsunayoshi." The man whispered to the boy softly and kept his red and blue eyes on the boy. The man's eyes held such a sad and affectionate gaze that it kept the boy staring straight into the man's opposite colored eyes in fascination. Tsuna licked his lips once, tasting the blood running from his cracked lips, and then he spoke timidly.

"Who... who are you...?"

Suddenly, the decaying wooden door of the mansion opened with a crash and a thin woman with spidery fingers rushed over as quick as her bone-like feet could carry her. Her voice was sharp and high as she shrieked, "Sawada! How dare you do such a thing again!" She grasped the boy's arm harshly with her hands and the man's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed Tsuna wince and then gasp in pain. The woman—who was most likely Miss Popritte—dragged the frail boy across the ground, not caring whether he stood or sat, and pulled him towards the lonely cellar standing near the outer walls. "I'll teach you a good lesson this time. No food for a month. And I mean it. You'll stay in there for an entire month. I don't care if you burn or freeze to death in there, you are staying there. No exceptions! How many times have I told you not to pretend to use 'powers' and attack the other orphans? How many times? Hm? Hm?"

Someone's hand was on her arm, grasping it gently. Miss Popritte frowned and narrowed her eyes at the tall man standing beside her, stopping her from dragging Tsuna any further. The man smiled lightly but spoke in an unyielding tone.

"Please release your hand from his arm."

Miss Popritte huffed and studied the man from head to toe. An appreciative smirk crept across her lips, but just as quickly, her thin lips pressed together to form a firm, taut line. "You may be charming but I have no reason to give in to your words," she spat out, "This child has done wrong and he must be punished for it! He's been doing this all his life! I would gladly get rid of him but none of the foster parents want him! He's a troubling child. The world would be better off if he were dead."

The man continued to smile, but a twinge of eeriness now ghosted his visage. "I understand... is that how you spoke about him to all the foster parents who came by?"

"Why I—! I would never—!" The woman's mouth opened and closed and she glanced from Tsuna to the man in confusion. "Who...?" Her eyes narrowed at the blue haired man standing before her, squinting until her dark eyes nearly looked like a pair of pressed olives. "Who are you...?"

The man stepped back and bowed courteously, though he kept his hand on the woman's. "I am Rokudo Mukuro, a humble sorcerer traversing the country. I just happened to stumble upon this place and this child took my interest."

Miss Popritte raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "I see... and why would you take an interest in this stubborn boy? After all, he's good-for-nothing. Can't even cook properly or serve a meal."

"Well now..." Mukuro smirked and applied a little more pressure to Miss Popritte's arm. "My interest in this boy can only be known by me and no one else. I would ask that you hold your tongue in my presence from now on. And you will release your hold on that boy lest something... mysteriously happen..." The number six in his red eye swiveled and stopped on the number three. Immediately, hundreds of large snakes emerged from the grass, slithering and cutting through the green patches, headed straight towards the woman.

"HYAAAH!" She screamed and quickly threw away Tsuna's arm from her thin hands. The snakes stopped following after her and they moved to Tsuna, wrapping around him contently. Tsuna stared at them in awe and slowly ran his bruised and burnt fingers along the smooth scales of one of the snakes curiously. When Miss Popritte saw the friendly way Tsuna and the snakes were treating each other, she bit her quivering bottom lip and then spat out angrily. "Freaks!" And then she hurried back into the safety of the orphanage.

Mukuro chuckled, lifting a hand up to his chin in contemplation. "I wonder what this place would look like... if it were engulfed in flames...?"

"Rokudo... Mukuro..." The name came from the boy's lips testily and the man immediately turned his attention on the boy, smiling affectionately as his name was spoken. Mukuro knelt before Tsuna again and traced a hand along one of the snakes wrapped along the boy's left leg. Then, he turned his blue eye towards the arm Miss Popritte had been holding earlier.

"Let me see." The blue haired man gestured to Tsuna's arm but the chestnut haired boy ignored his request and lifted a hand up to point at the man's red eye.

"Your eye was glowing..."

"Oya? You can see?" Mukuro smirked and the number in his eye returned to its usual six again. The snakes disappeared and Tsuna gasped in surprise, searching around him for the lost snakes. "Then, that only proves that you are truly the one I have been looking for. Now let me see your arm."

"The one you are looking for...?" Tsuna asked curiously. But then the man grabbed him quickly by the arm, causing the boy to yelp and writhe in pain. Tsuna's free hand shot up to clutch his chest and the boy's breathing picked up abnormally, gasping and gagging for air. Mukuro quickly released the boy and a sad smile appeared across his lips.

"Yes, you are the one..." The man watched as a deep burn seared across Tsuna's arm, right at the exact place he had just touched him. "The curse is still so strong even now... even when I am wearing these gloves."

Tsuna gulped in deep breaths of air, skin still crawling and shivering from the sudden burst of pain. He turned his amber eyes to the new burn on his arm. This pain... it was more severe than anything he had ever felt in his life! Not only had his arm burned and stung like he had poured alcohol over an open wound, his heart had constricted painfully and a stabbing and burning sensation had been eating into his chest cavity, causing him to forget how to breathe. He turned his eyes back on Mukuro and he panted breathlessly, the pain of his burning chest and arm still throbbing. Who was this man exactly? And why was he looking for him?

Mukuro smiled gently and stood up, staring up at the cloudless sky and sun biting down upon the land. "You and I... we share a deep connection from a long long time ago..."

"Eh...?" Tsuna blinked his large amber colored eyes, staring up at the man who looked so alone standing there by himself. The boy stood up to stand beside the man. Mukuro let his gaze fall down on the boy beside him and then smiled. He reached a gloved hand out to the boy's cheek. Tsuna gulped once, wondering if it would hurt again, and he squinted an eye closed, prepared for pain. But Mukuro's fingers stopped a breath away from his face and Tsuna watched as the man's eyes drooped slightly closed, as though reminiscing forgotten feelings and memories. Mukuro's thumb brushed gently over the air, as if the air had become a glass shield, preventing the man from touching and caressing Tsuna's cheek with his thumb. Then, the man pulled his hand away and let it drop by his side limply.

"Well then..." Mukuro let his usual eerie smile paste over his face again. "...shall we leave this hell?"

Tsuna blinked in surprise. "What? I'm leaving here...?" Mukuro chuckled and nodded. After a second of contemplation, the boy glanced at the cellar where he spent most of his life imprisoned in. "Wait just a second...!" He waved for the blue haired man to wait for him and Mukuro followed behind, watching the small boy jog slowly towards the cellar, tripping over the patches of grass along the way. The man chuckled again and easily caught up with Tsuna, moving to stand behind the boy in interest. The man's eyes softened as he watched a happy smile spread across Tsuna's cracked lips and bruised mouth.

"I'm gonna be gone for a while. I'm not sure where I'm going... but I promise I'll come back and visit again one day!"

Mukuro peered in curiously, wondering who Tsuna was talking to. As he pressed his face against the bars on the window—just as Tsuna was doing—he watched the white flower, glowing palely in the cellar, bristle in a non-existent wind. The man felt a familiar warmth brush his face, as though it were kissing him in thanks, and a smirk rose on his lips as he watched Tsuna close his eyes when the warm air moved to rustle his hair. The boy's eyes fluttered open and he smiled sadly at the flower. "Bye bye. I'll be back...!" The boy turned to gaze at a thick tree branch hanging low and close to the outer wall, eyes unfocused from remembering a deep memory from long ago. And then, after muttering a soft 'bye' to the tree branch, Tsuna whipped his head around to face Mukuro, staring at him with amber eyes full of trust.

Mukuro watched the boy for a moment, shaking his head at the boy's naivety. That was something that never changed did it? Aura's unending innocence and naivety. He chuckled and lifted one of his gloved hands up to his face, pressing his fingers against his forehead and his palm against one eye. "Kufufufu... you shouldn't trust me too much, Sawada Tsunayoshi. You don't even know who I truly am yet."

"But I will know sooner or later." Tsuna smiled gently and cutely despite his face full of burns and bruises. "You said, 'yet'. So that means I will know one day."

Mukuro let his blue eye fall upon the chestnut haired boy, watching the boy with a mysterious look. And then he closed his eyes, chuckling softly again. "Yes, I suppose so... anyway, it looks like I can't burn this place down then. Since you have a friend here. Come, let us walk and you can tell me who your friend is." The blue haired man started to stroll back towards the creaking gate, followed slowly by the amber eyed boy.

"Eh?" Tsuna yelped in surprise while staring wide-eyed at Mukuro's back. "You were going to burn down the orphanage?"

"Yes." Mukuro said simply and bluntly, not even trying to conceal his previous intentions. "Although a pyro would probably do a more thorough and cleaner job than I could... but there aren't too many pyros these days..."

Tsuna's jaw hung open as he listened to the man's words. Just exactly... who was he following right now...? Mukuro had mentioned that he was a traveling sorcerer. What sort of sorcerer was he...? A sorcerer who could summon animals? The boy felt a pair of eyes on him and he almost squeaked in fright when he found himself only an inch away from colliding into Mukuro's chest. The man was smiling down at him again.

"Ah, little Tsunayoshi-kun. You are quite different from the others I've met so far."

"Huh?" Tsuna blinked and tilted his head to the side questionably. Others? What others...?

"You can actually find it in yourself to care for those people who treated you so badly...?" Mukuro eyed the dull burn mark on Tsuna's arm, the place where Miss Popritte had grasped him harshly by earlier. "Could it be possible that you...?"

Tsuna frowned slightly, wondering why Mukuro was asking him a question with such an obvious answer. Of course he would care for the people at the orphanage. They were... his only family! And despite the way he was being treated, he had never thought about leaving because they needed him. They needed them, even if it was only to fit the role of punching bag and allow them to vent their frustrations and wrath upon him, all accumulated from living poorly. But now... it would probably be okay to leave them. Mukuro needed him more. For what reason, he did not know. But Mukuro needed him. The man had traveled from who knows where just to find him. It was... only right to follow after him, wasn't it? It was only right to follow, even if it meant having to leave his family, home, and his precious memories of tree branches and cold, grey-blue eyes behind.

"Could it be possible that you hurt..." Mukuro repeated again, staring down at the boy with narrowed eyes. "...when anyone touches you?"

Tsuna blushed faintly and glanced downwards sheepishly. Mukuro frowned. The boy shuffled from foot to foot uneasily under the man's gaze. "Every time the foster parents came and tried to pat my head, it would hurt a lot. I would start to squirm even under their gentle touches. Miss Popritte always sent me immediately to the cellar after that. It's... pathetic, isn't it...?"

"No..." Mukuro sighed and turned his head away from Tsuna, starting to walk down the path again. "It's... amazing... that you value humanity so much." He whispered mostly to himself and Tsuna jogged up behind the sorcerer so that he could hear better.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you the first time. Could you repeat that again, Mukuro-san...?" He murmured timidly, wondering if he would be allowed to ask. Mukuro turned his head to glance briefly at the boy. Then a smile crept across his lips.

"What are you doing back there? Since we're traveling together, we should walk side-by-side."

Tsuna tensed, startled by the suggestion. "B-But... I'm slower than you. If we walked beside each other... you'd have to walk slower. At least if I walk behind you and fall behind, I can run to catch up without having to bother you..."

Mukuro stared incredulously at the boy and then shook his head. "Would you rather me tie a string to your neck and keep you on a leash then? How am I supposed to know you're still following me if you keep walking behind?"

The chestnut haired boy blushed and shook his head vigorously before moving quickly up to walk alongside Mukuro. The blue haired man smiled and after a few seconds of walking in silence, took three large steps forward playfully. He chuckled to himself as his ears picked up a sharp gasp from Tsuna and heard the boy scramble forward through the red brown leaves on the path in order to catch up.

"Relax, Tsunayoshi-kun. I won't hurt you for not keeping up with me." Mukuro laughed and watched the boy lower his head shyly. "We still have quite a long way before we reach the next town. Why don't I tell you something about myself...?"

Tsuna stared at the man in interest. "You're going to tell me something about yourself...?"

Mukuro smiled mysteriously and then instantly sprung a question on the boy, "How old are you now?"

"Eh?" The boy blinked, wondering why they were suddenly talking about how old he was and not about Mukuro. "Umm... I'm about sixteen years old..."

Mukuro's smile grew wider. "Well then, that makes me exactly three-hundred and forty-two years older than you."

Tsuna tripped, falling forward on his face, and a few birds flew down from the canopy, gathering around to stare at him curiously. Mukuro watched the boy's reaction with amusement. The boy lifted his face off from the ground, spitting a few leaves from his mouth, and then turned to gape at the blue haired man.

"Y-You're more than th-three-hundred fifty years old? But you look like you're only a few years older than me!"

Mukuro grinned cheerily at the compliment and added, "Why, thank you! And I am three-hundred and fifty-eight years old to be exact." He waited for Tsuna to pick himself off the ground before they started walking deeper and deeper into the dark forest. The boy lifted his head to gaze at the three-hundred year old sorcerer. He licked his lips uneasily, and was about to ask if it had taken three-hundred years to find him, when the man interrupted him even before he could start.

"Do you know of Aura's legend?" Mukuro's voice had suddenly grown quiet and slightly lower, like the sound of a panther ready to pounce. Mukuro was staring expressionlessly at the darkening trees, which were growing and branching out into other trees wildly, and Tsuna shivered instinctively, noting in the back of his mind that the man's personality could change in an instant.

"I've heard my family talk about it. But they never told me."

"Don't call them your family." Mukuro turned his eyes to Tsuna coldly and the boy felt his breath stop in his throat, unable to tear his gaze away from the man. His knees were shaking and although he felt the need to hide behind a tree, his legs never stopped moving forward, walking step-by-step alongside the man, as though he were chained to him. Noticing the frightened look in Tsuna's usually warm and amber eyes, Mukuro softened his gaze apologetically. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, the ones you should be calling your family, your true family, are actually always watching over you from the heavens. Please don't call anyone else your family... especially those people who could never deserve to be called 'family' by you."

Tsuna paused and then he blinked once. "Really...? So my... true family... has always been watching me?" The boy whispered quietly. He stared up into the canopy of the trees and they seemed to part slightly for him to see the glowing blue sky. A faint ghost-like sliver of the moon emerged as the tree branches swayed in the wind and a large smile spread across Tsuna's face, laughing happily up at the skies. Mukuro stared at the boy, entranced, wondering how the boy could still smile so cheerfully when he lived such an unfortunate life.

...would never be allowed to touch or be touched by her loved ones...

Mukuro's gaze lowered to the ground. "I'll tell you the story of Aura, Tsunayoshi-kun. Aura, the goddess of the mountain who possessed the gift to communicate and command the spirits of our land."

The two travelers moved slowly, slowly, further into the forest and by now the path had turned into one that weaved in and out between the trees, an unending trail of worn dirt and crumbling leaves in every direction.

"Firstly, I should tell you about the land that you live in, since you probably don't know. Our country is split into five provinces. The one we are in right now is called Pyrkagia, home to the people who are deft in the ways of creating and using fire. Whether they still deserve such a title remains debatable... We will be heading to the main city of Pyrkagia, Sidero, to prepare for our journey to come."

"Journey to come...?" Tsuna asked curiously. Mukuro ignored the question and continued,

"The other four provinces are Fotizo, Nero, Aeras, and Gi. These five are the names of the five gods who secretly govern our land and they are also the ones who are forever watching you, your family."

"EH?" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise when he heard the last part. "W-Why... why are such powerful beings my family? How could that be possible? I'm... I'm not such a special person...!"

Mukuro smirked wryly and the corner of his lips twitched as though he would like to retort back. But the man held his tongue and continued with his story. "Long time ago, after the formation of this land and its waters, the five gods lived upon the tallest mountain, in an ancient shrine, harmoniously. But their peace did not last, for they quickly became lonely. So, together, the gods created a little girl for themselves. A little girl who they named Aura. None of them were aware of how much pain they would bring to themselves in the future by doing so..."

Tsuna stared at Mukuro with large eyes. "They were in pain...? Did Aura do something bad?"

"Not at all." Mukuro smiled gently, "Aura and the gods loved each other deeply and they lived happily."

"Oh, that's good." Tsuna smiled at that. Then, his lips parted again, "But you said that they would be pained in the future...?"

"Yes, because soon a stranger from the lands below stumbled upon the mountain and when he set his eyes on Aura, he immediately fell into a mad love."

"Eh? Really?" Tsuna gasped. Mukuro raised an eyebrow at him and the boy smiled sheepishly. "Well... how could he just love someone so quickly?"

Mukuro rolled his eyes and stared pointedly at the boy. "Like you're the one to talk. Aura was a beautiful woman. Perhaps he was a man who didn't need much else incentive to fall madly in love."

"Oh." Tsuna scratched his cheek slowly and when he accidentally scratched a scab, he winced and quickly pulled his hand away. "So he fell in love because she was beautiful..."

"Yes, and also because she had the most beautiful soul out of any other woman he had ever seen."

"Hehhh..." Tsuna voiced, listening intently.

"The gods didn't like the man and so they scared him off the mountain. But the man, unsatisfied, told all his friends about Aura. Soon, people from the village climbed the mountain to see if the rumors were true and when they caught a glimpse of Aura, they were immediately enchanted by her existence."

"Woah... she's really powerful..." Tsuna's mouth hung open in awe. Mukuro chuckled and was about to lift his hand to pat the boy on the head when he paused and pulled his hand back quickly, clenching it into a fist by his side.

"Yes, she was powerful. Not only did the people love her very much, she had been given a special gift from the gods when she was five years of age. This gift could allow her to speak and summon the spirits she loved and to even command them, although she rarely used her gift to command."

"Hehhh... that's an amazing gift." Tsuna smiled and Mukuro smiled back at him.

"Yes, it is an amazing gift... but once she had shown the people what she could do, news traveled throughout the lands and the rumors of a powerful and beautiful goddess were heard by dishonest people. They, driven by greed and thirst for power, sought out the girl and soon the gods knew that they would need someone to always be there by Aura's side and guard her from harm.

"They sent two loyal guardians, whom the gods trusted deeply, to protect Aura from all evil and harm. When Aura first met them, she immediately took a liking to them and they, too, loved her back. Soon, the mountain returned to peace again."

Tsuna nodded happily. "That's good. Those guardians sound really strong..."

"Well, they were very skilled warriors. But they bickered with each other a lot."

Tsuna giggled into one hand, "They sound pretty funny."

Mukuro chuckled and watched the boy giggle quietly. "I think so, too." His eyes fell to the ground. "But then a new evil came to the mountain."

Tsuna's laughter stilled and his eyes widened. He dropped his gaze to the leaves on the ground. "I see..." Mukuro began again, this time in a low harsh tone that made Tsuna look up at him in concern, wondering why he spoke in such a way.

"A sorcerer, one who knew many evil spells, heard of Aura and decided to make the goddess his own and use her for his own advantages. When he reached the top and met with Aura, he was immediately obsessed with her, unable to think of anyone else but her. The two guardians, knowing the evil the sorcerer possessed, held the sorcerer off for many days and nights. But one day, grown old and tired of being unable to touch Aura, the sorcerer—in his delirium—disguised himself in the form of a black cat and he slipped past the two guardians to Aura's sleeping chamber.

"In the chamber, he returned to his original form and then, he cast a powerful and cruel spell upon her; a spell that could only be cast when the person being cast upon were asleep. Immediately after casting the evil curse, the spell killed him and sent him into an endless cycle of reincarnation. From then on, every life he lived, he lived in loneliness."

Tsuna watched Mukuro wordlessly, lips parted and eyes trembling, not liking this legend at all. "And what happened to Aura...?"

Mukuro smiled sadly and turned his eyes to Tsuna as he spoke, "She was also thrown into an endless cycle of reincarnations and although she carried her gift to speak and summon the spirits to her, she would have to live all of her lives unable to touch or be touched by the people whom she loved."

Tsuna continued to gaze at the man standing beside him silently. They had stopped walking now, bodies slightly shrouded by the dark trees surrounding them. "This legend..." The boy started hesitantly.

"Do you understand now...?" Mukuro murmured quietly and his chilling eyes looked straight into Tsuna's large amber ones. "Do you understand who you are and who I am and what I must do?"

"I..." Tsuna felt his voice catch in his throat, words jumbling and mixing in a great turmoil in his mind. Mukuro leaned in closely, letting his breath ghost over Tsuna's face as he spoke.

"You are a reincarnation of Aura. And I am your sworn enemy, the reincarnation of the sorcerer who cast you into this miserable life. And because I am the one who did this to you, I will see to it that you are rid of this curse, no matter how many lives it will take me..."

Tsuna's eyes widened and his body shook fearfully. "No... wait... I can't be... Aura...!"

Mukuro pulled back and watched the boy with an eerie smile again. "But you are. You can speak with spirits, can you not? And when the people you care for touch you, your skin burns and bruises."

"T-That's...!" Tsuna gulped and backed away slowly. "That's just coincidence! I'm not powerful at all! I'm useless... Besides... Aura is a girl! Why would she be... me?"

Mukuro frowned and then took one great stride forward, standing only a foot away from the boy. The man roughly grabbed the boy by his arm and immediately Tsuna gasped as pain shot through his body like sharp fire. His arm burnt as though hot iron were being pressed against it, cutting and charring his skin, and he felt his heart clench and unclench drastically, making it harder and harder for him to breathe. His stomach was churning in a familiar way. It was burning warmly. Something was circling and circling in his stomach. Tsuna cried out in frustration, forcefully pulling his mind away from the warm feeling rising in the pit of his stomach. No, he couldn't let himself give in to that feeling. Otherwise... otherwise... it would happen again. His transformation. And then Mukuro could get hurt...!

His head now felt like pins and needles were pricking deep into his scalp and the boy screamed as his mind felt like bursting from the inside. The boy thrashed, trying to pull his arm away from Mukuro's grasp, but the man held his arm tightly, unmercifully. He heard Mukuro's faint voice come from above him and he gasped for air, looking up at the blearing image of the blue haired man.

"This is the undeniable proof: the pain you are experiencing from my touch. You are Aura, the one I am fated to never touch but forever love." The man released his hold upon the boy and Tsuna collapsed to the ground, entire body weak from the excruciating pain. The boy breathed deeply and greedily for air, coughing and choking as he inhaled the dust from the ground.

"Long ago... about two hundred years ago... I met a woman who could talk to spirits and see them as you did." Mukuro snorted, "I fell deliriously in love with her. Just as easily as the sorcerer in the legend did. I wanted to touch her. To hold her. To keep her for only myself. But whenever I tried to keep her, she would scream in pain and run from my arms." The man's eyes darkened and he stared at the shadowy trees coldly. "The next time I saw her, I locked her in my arms so that she could not run away. I decided not to pay any attention to her cries, thinking that she were only pretending to be hurting because when others touched her by the shoulder, she never screamed in pain the way she did with me. So, I continued... to stupidly relish in the warmth of her body. She died screeching... right in my arms."

Tsuna weakly pushed his torso off from the ground and watched the sad image of the powerful looking man, sagging under the weight of decades upon decades of living. "Mukuro..."

"I had killed her. Just by touching her. Holding her. It was only later that I learned of Aura's legend and that she was her seventh reincarnation." Mukuro sighed and put on a small smile. "I know better now. I am sorry... for hurting you just now, Sawada Tsunayoshi..."

"Mukuro..." Tsuna weakly pulled his shaking body to his feet, using a strong tree trunk growing close to him to support him. "It's okay, Mukuro... it's not... it's not your fault...!"

The blue haired sorcerer watched Tsuna's knees shake and the boy's shoulders tremble pitifully. He smiled and moved to sit down on the dead leaves, deciding to take a rest. Tsuna followed Mukuro with his eyes and then moved to sit down beside the man. They sat close to each other, but their legs were carefully held back and did not touch.

"Well... you know who I am now." Mukuro said casually, staring up at the thick canopy of leaves that were blocking out nearly all the sunlight. "Are you going to run away? If we're near each other, we'll only hurt each other."

Tsuna said nothing. He stared at the deep burn marks on his arms, which were both starting to bruise, and he touched his face with his fingers, wincing as a bruise there throbbed. The boy let his hands drop to his sides. "So... that's... why I'm like this...? I'm... a reincarnation of... Aura?"

Mukuro nodded silently and then added matter-of-factly. "The tenth reincarnation, actually."

"Eh?" Tsuna turned to look at the man. "How do you know...?"

A serene smile graced Mukuro's lips and he chuckled. "Well... I've lived for three-hundred and fifty-eight years, remember? I've met with your previous three reincarnations. They were all girls..." Mukuro tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Funny, why did you turn out to be a boy anyway?"

Tsuna flushed pink and stared at his lap irritably. "How should I know?" He peered at Mukuro from the side sheepishly. "Is that... a bad thing...?"

The man chuckled and shook his head. "Kufufufu... not at all. On the contrary, it only makes things more interesting... besides, you're already like a girl anyway."

"HEH?" Tsuna exclaimed and balled his hands up, trying to defend his manhood. "How am I like a girl?"

"Kuhaha!" Mukuro laughed and sent a sly smile towards Tsuna. "Would you really like me to tell you how similar you are to your opposite sex?" Tsuna gulped and let his hands unfurl and fall meekly back into his lap. He shook his head quickly and Mukuro grinned. "There's a good boy."

And then, they sat there in silence, both staring at the dirt path a few feet away. Tsuna smiled at the path and then turned to Mukuro. The man had asked him if he would leave, now that he knew the full story. But... how could he leave him? And even if he did leave Mukuro, what would he do afterwards? Where would he go? Tsuna smiled softly and traced his eyes along the man's side profile, deciding that he would go nowhere. He had a feeling... He had to stay with Mukuro no matter what. His eyes returned to land on the worn looking path, strewn with damp and transparent leaves. It was the path that they would be following now, leading them onwards to their next destination, Sidero. Tsuna leaned back against the tree behind him and then he turned his head to Mukuro.

"So... we're going to go find a way to cure the curse...?"

Mukuro slowly turned his head towards the boy and when their eyes met, a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Yes."

.:.