With great thanks to Wyrvel who helped me to narrow down the period Quarto would have seen public transport then. More Tsuna Fluff as usual, you have been warned. Quarto Tsuna meets Iemitsu and the Ninth. Enjoy!
The Five Star Chef Decimo Chapter 2: Five Years Old Part 2
When class began and the teacher asked for what job they wanted to be, Tsuna knew what he wanted more than anything else in the world. To be a chef. It had been a dream that was shattered in his previous life. Nothing was going to stop in his way to get there this time round. Not even Vongola. He chuckled, wondering how he should get there. Firstly, he'd start cooking as much as he could. Then research on the ways to secure his future as a chef. He didn't feel the need for contests, but he definitely wanted to cook in his career. A small restaurant might do. He would be content with that. But of course, all masters start somewhere, and he shall have to start from the beginning once more.
"Mama! Teach me how to cook!" He asked her while on the way back home.
"Ara, what's this all of a sudden?" Nana said, curious.
"Today the teacher in kindergarten asked us what we wanted to be like.. I told her that I wanted to be a chef! Mama's dishes are the best. Will you teach me?" Tsuna pleaded.
"Ara, my Tsu-kun is growing up!" She lifted him and hugged him. "I'll teach you when you're older, sweetie. But first, you have to read the recipe books and learn how to use all the utensils. Is that okay?"
"Promise?" He held his little pinky finger out to his mother.
"I promise!" Their pinky fingers intertwined.
Tsuna made sure to familiarise himself with all the tools. He didn't want to worry his mother. For now, he just had to make use of the free time he had. A child's job is to learn, and he was going to do just that.
His father is finally going to visit! The man that had only been heard on the phone, seen in photographs, will finally escape those mediums and cross over to reality. His mother had been in a euphoric mood in the days leading up to the visit, cooking up many of his father's favourite dishes. They were going to greet their father at the airport. After breakfast, she dressed up in a nice simple one piece dress with a long coat. Tsuna dressed in his favourite green sweater and brown shorts. The day seemed bright and sunny today, brightening up the day even further. Nana carried a small handbag and locked the front door. She then walked around to see if the house was secured. Meanwhile, he stared at the cab that waited outside their house. It had glass windows, a metal body and big black rubber wheels. He had seen many of its kind on the roads. Tsuna wondered if the horses that pulled the metal carriage were invisible. He walked over to the front of the taxi and tried to see if he could feel anything. Thin air. He waved and threw his arms all over, jumping to see if he could touch something. Nothing.
"Tsu-kun! Don't stand in front of the taxi! That's dangerous." His mother scolded, lifting him off the ground.
"Mama, there's no horses here." He blurted out.
"Tsu-kun, it's a taxi. Of course there's no horses!" From the corner of his eye, he could see his mother grinning.
The car door opened automatically, and he stared curiously. Upon stepping in, the doors closed automatically. He widened his eyes. Cold air washed over him, and he felt relaxed. Strange, he didn't expect it to be this cold. The seats were soft and comfy, unlike the hard leather he would have expected. He knelt and stared out the back window. Cushions greeted him, along with a nice view of the street behind them. Tsuna then examined the window and pressed on it. He pounded on the seat, expecting something to happen. The car continued to vibrate silently. Noticing a button, he pressed it. The glass slid down, and warm air blew in. Nana grabbed his wrist, stopping him from trying again. He stared at her, and then the glass filled back up all of a sudden. Bewildered, he looked in front to see a man in his forties, his hands on a wheel. The man seemed friendly. The boy then stared back at his mom. For the past few weeks, they had been living on simple meals. When did his mother get the money to hire a personal chauffeur?
"Mama, is he our chauffeur?" Tsuna asked.
"Tsu-kun! He's a taxi driver, not a chauffeur!" Nana scolded, and he relented upon seeing her displeased face. "I am sorry about that, sir." She apologised.
"No, no, kids are very mischievous and curious especially at that age. You have a very cute son there. How old is he?" The driver asked.
"I'm five years old!" Tsuna happily answered, flashing his biggest smile and pointing out his hand, five fingers outstretched. "I like robots and cooking! Uncle, is this car a robot?" He asked curiously, his mother tucking him in the seat belts.
"Yes! This car is a robot controlled by me. I decide what this robot do." The driver declared, and then showed the windshield wipers wiping the front of the car.
"That's amazing! Can you teach me how to control this robot?!" He asked.
Laughter greeted him, as Nana told the driver the destination and the taxi started moving. He had been out a few times, but this was the first time he spent it inside the box thing they call a taxi. Tsuna wondered what's the difference between a taxi and a car. They all looked the same, just different colours. From the suburban neighbourhoods, the houses transitioned into office buildings. The road expanded, and the number of vehicles on the road increased. Ranging from lorries, trucks to even motorcycles. A motorcyclist zoomed past them, and he nearly jumped in his seat. He peered from the window again. He became curious why there were no lines indented on the roads. 'Do trams even exist here?' Unlike the other vehicles, the motorcycle had two wheels.
"Mama, it's a motorcycle." He said, pointing out the window.
"Yes."
"Isn't it a bicycle?" Tsuna asked, confused.
"It looks like one, but it's faster." His mom supplied.
'When and how did they make bicycles so fast? They weren't pedaling.' A bicycle had to be ridden with your own two feet. 'Was there a horse? But then a horse wouldn't be so fast.' Seeing most of the vehicles all so closely together and freely changing lanes, Tsuna guessed there wasn't any invisible horses or trams after all. Tsuna looked out the window, trying to find a tram. All the cars around them had less than four occupants inside. The closest thing that resembled the tram was a bus. Many people were standing inside, crowded. There was so much about this world he had to learn about. Tsuna felt that the world was bigger than he ever imagined.
The boy looked out the window, feeling rather bored. It had been an hour, and he ran out of things to gawk at. Thus, he started to think about his father. He wondered what his father looked like. Tsuna tried hard to remember him, but came up with nothing. Tsuna attempted to imagine what his father was like. A father that did not have a presence at home, yet allowed their household to function with no worry. He began to have a sinking feeling in his stomach. In this life, he had a amazing mother and a peaceful life. What if he had been doing something bad, like the people in those dramas that his mother watched everyday? Some men in the dramas they watched would cheat on their wives, or doing something dangerous like beating people up and shooting people. But then, there were those cartoons he watched everyday with good guys too. People piloting machines to save the world and transforming into heroes to save the day. He brightened up at the thought of it. Maybe his father was a superhero! That's why he couldn't be home!
"Are you excited to see Papa, Tsu-kun?" He nodded excitedly. "Are you hungry, Tsu-kun?" He shook his head.
Then he stopped at the sight of a white thing taking off the runway.
"Mama! Mama! Is that an airplane?!" Tsuna said in zest, directing his mother to pay attention.
"That's right. Your Papa is coming in on a airplane." She said, patting him on the head.
He watched the wide blue sky in awe. Someday, he wanted to get on a plane too. He wondered how it felt like to be in the sky.
They arrived at the airport, and got out of the taxi. Tsuna stared in awe at the area. Everything looked so new. His mother held his hand tightly, leading him along the way. He became mesmerized by the many people walking around. He had never seen so many people in the place before. If the shopping mall had been so crowded, the airport just brought it to a whole new level. This time, people were lugging around luggages. He caught a glimpse of white skinned people with blonde, brown hair and people with dark skin. There were the old, the young and many more. Boards spanned across the terminal, signifying flights heading to places he had never heard of before. He smiled when he saw 'ITA' on some of the flights but ultimately decided he would not miss it. Japan was his home now. They walked towards the area where people were exiting.
Many were holding signboards in different languages. He chose to ignore them in favour of sticking close with his mother. He didn't want to get lost.
"Mama, when is papa coming?" He asked impatiently.
"His flight arrived. Just wait a bit more, Tsu-kun." She told him, and he waited.
After what seemed like an eternity of waiting and watching people go, the wait finally came to a stop.
"Over here, Iemitsu!" His mother shouted, and he jumped in surprise.
She waved her hand up in the air. Two men were walking in their direction. An elderly man and a young man. The older man had grey hair and a mustache. He wore a shirt that Tsuna believed one would wear to Hawaii. Vibrant colours. The younger one had to be his father. Tsuna remembered the photo his mother would always glance at. His hair was blonde, unlike Tsuna's brown. His eyes were stern and he wore a plain shirt with a yellow jacket. The boy felt afraid, unsure of what to say to this person whom he had little memory of.
"Nana, I missed you so much!" Iemitsu ran over and hugged his wife, lifting her off the ground.
"Dear!" She excitedly said, and Tsuna gaped, standing there.
Without warning, he got lifted up into the air too.
"My dear tunafish! Do you miss me?" The man said, giving a warm smile.
"Papa!" He said back, cheerful.
"How was the flight?" His mother asked, and he finally slid back in the comfortable arms of his father.
"It was great!" The old man approached. "Ah, I forgot to mention. This is my boss." His father introduced his companion.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to Japan! I heard my husband is always in your care at work." She bowed slightly.
"He's the one who's been helping me so much. What an beautiful lady. Your wife is wasted on you, Iemitsu." His mother had her hands on her face, overjoyed at the praise.
"We're a perfect couple!" His father said, flustered. "And this is my son, Tsunayoshi." He gestured to Tsuna, who hid behind Nana.
"Nice to meet you, Tsunayoshi-kun." The old man said in a kind tone, and the boy stared at him.
He smiled, and Tsuna gave a wider one in response.
His father's boss brought a lot of souvenirs. There were race cars, a video gaming console and many more. Though he felt happy getting a lot of toys, Tsuna decided he would play with them later. He had a lot of free time to do so. Nothing shall stand in his way to become a chef, and that meant spending time in the kitchen with his mother.
"Just wait a bit longer Tsu-kun, I'll be done cooking dinner in a while. Go play." Nana said to her son, who had been helping her out.
"No, I want to watch Mama cook!" Tsuna insisted, and then got up on the chair.
He watched intently, and Nana relented to let him watch to his heart's content. Iemitsu and the older adult were in the living room, chatting. After a while, they began to converse.
"What do you think, Nono?" His father spoke, and Tsuna's ears perked up at the foreign yet familiar language.
He remained still, but continued to watch Nana.
"He is an adorable child, just like your wife." Timoteo commented.
"I know right! He's my adorable tunafish! He inherited my lovely Nana's traits and my handsome looks! He's going to be a good chef in the future! I am so proud of him!" Iemitsu bragged and Tsuna rolled his eyes in response.
"I just hope that he won't have to bear the burden of being heir." The old man sighed. "Speaking of which, that boy won't speak to me." He decided to not hear anymore, and pondered hard.
'Heir? This man is definitely not my grandfather, he looks too different from dad. He's a European, given his pale skin. ' He analysed the old man's mannerisms. 'Dad works for a company. He definitely reports to this man. Nono is Ninth in Italian. Companies don't use heirs, they just find a suitable person for the job. That only leaves that the business is a very exclusive branch where there are traditions regarding succession. Could they be a mafia family? '
'Since I'm not the designated heir, this means there are other heirs. Good, but I will have to keep this in mind in case all of them die. Seeing my father grinning like an idiot and praising me all the way probably means I shouldn't do anything. For as much as I want to plan ways to prevent those heirs from dying, I'm only a Japanese boy. I can't fly to Italy or do anything out of the ordinary. Even if I do pull it off, it sounds inherently ridiculous and makes me look more 'suitable' to be a mafia boss. All I can do is just hope that none of them die then. Then again, I'm sure I'm thinking too much. There's no way he could be working for a mafia boss, Papa's a superhero. Besides… papa will protect me from that world, right? ' He held onto the chair tightly.
He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach but he ignored it in favour of learning to cook.
Tsuna opened his eyes wearily. The sun had yet to rise, but light escaped from underneath the door. He yawned, walking out of his room and down the stairs. His father and his boss stood by the door, ready to go. His mother stood at the side, talking to him.
"Two weeks really fly by fast. When will you be back?" Nana asked her husband.
"Hmm, I'll try to make it back for Tsuna's birthday. How about that?" Iemitsu grinned.
"Really?" Tsuna said, and they turned to him, surprised. "Will you promise me that?"
"Tsu-kun! You're up this early?" Nana said, shocked.
His father approached him and gave his pinky out.
"I promise." Their pinkies locked, and Tsuna smiled.
"Tsunayoshi-kun." His father's boss walked over. "The next time I come over, I'd like to try your cooking." He said in a very kind tone.
"Sure!" He answered cheerfully. "When that time comes, I'll cook for you for sure!" They all chuckled, and the older man patted him on the head.
"I look forward to it." Timoteo said, smiling.
The memory of his father departing, his large back facing Tsuna, remained vividly etched in his mind that day.
So people were wondering why Quarto, a supposedly grumpy old man, was acting like a child. Well, the shortcut explanation: he's from the past, so naturally he'd be amazed by the advancements in technology. Perhaps the next chapter will address this. Until then, see you all because I'm in three weeks of hell. I hope you enjoyed this short chapter (which I still can't believe is 2k words but felt nothing much happened.) Until then, see you next time!
