"History changes all the time. It is constantly being re-examined and re-evaluated, otherwise how would we be able to keep historians occupied? We can't possibly allow people with their sort of minds to walk around with time on their hands." ― Terry Pratchett
caesar +3
"Ufufu—!" One Hestia Miamore giggles as she helps Tsunayoshi stand up. She wasn't wearing her traditional clothes, oh no! She was wearing a mustard yellow sweater, paired with a white tennis skirt. It was unnerving to see her in such a short skirt as Tsunayoshi didn't even know Hestia had legs (he always assumed he did not, as she looked like she was floating and he didn't hear her steps whenever she walked). Instead of her hat, her hair was pushed up in a headband. "You really think I would've let you died too young?"
"Well—" Tsuna can't help but push his hands into his pockets. It was weird to hear such a young voice come out of him, but he supposes it's quite alright, seeing as he was you know reverted back to being a kid once more. "You are a historian; you're supposed to be fair and unbiased so—yeah."
Hestia rolls her eyes. "I am unbiased and fair. Fair enough to appeal to Maryam for an extension of your life." She took out her big book of Decimo History from god knows where. It literally just appeared with a poof and showed its contents to Tsuna, flipping it swiftly. "Look! It's practically not yet done! I've only written like what, five percent of the book?" Hestia sighs, closing the book and letting it disappear, surprising Tsuna a little bit. "I admit that I do care about you Tsuna! You're practically my father, but I take my job seriously. I don't care if you wanted to die that day—I don't. The Order doesn't. Well, Kronos might care…" She trails off before picking back her train of thought. "Don't even try and complain, I had to convince Maryam to do this for me and Fumiko!" Hestia shudders thinking of promises she'll have to fulfil after recording Tsuna's history.
"Is that why Phoebe had to sub for you that whole week in February despite being in retirement with her wife." Tsuna asks, biting his lips. It was weird to have Hestia doing stuff for him. His Sun historian was kind, yes, he would not deny that but she often adopted the mentality of a selfish five year old, kind of like Lambo when he was young. There's nothing like taking care of a second Lambo, even if the person we're talking about was actually a century (perhaps more?) old deity. "Also! I'm not complaining, I'm—I'm wondering."
"Well! Good. I guess." Hestia shrugs, fiddling her hands. Her rings connected with chains were still with her, which was a nice constant that kept Tsuna not catatonic. It still made that god awful clanging sound whenever she fiddled with it. "Yes. Phoebe was such an understanding girl; I hope she and Lily will have a wonderful time together." Hestia says wistfully, looking at the horizon; thoughts of Tsuna complaining about him being alive already disappeared from her mind and were replaced by the thoughts of an older girl with the bluest of eyes exploring the world.
Tsuna sighs as he realized that Hestia was probably thinking of Fumiko, the moon historian who was probably also off recording history outside of the inner famiglia. He cannot help the jealousy bubbling up as he remembers his own love, his own dead love. He tries and squashes it down, it's been a year, he should not feel this kind of sting. He takes the hand of his Sun Historian, assumes that the place is Namimori and then goes with a surprised but quite historian in tow. The sun was setting and it was time for them to go home.
This snaps out Hestia from her wistfulness and comes into a complete stop, halting the both of them and making Tsuna almost trip (how embarrassing!). The Decimo looks at the Historian with curious and prying eyes, obviously confused yet there was an underlying firmness to it. He was confused, not in a way that would say he was unprepared, his look carried something that said he was confused for being stopped for no good reason. He was obviously tired from being left out and being left in the dark.
Hestia removed her arm from Tsuna's grip and started fiddling her hands. She was nervous and boy did Tsuna noticed and knew. Tsuna frowned and folded his arms and started tapping his foot, waiting for an explanation. The Historian started to get nervous, she joked and teased Tsuna of course, but it wasn't like she wasn't still afraid of him. She was afraid—afraid in the same way that daughters would be afraid of their father.
There were times where, even if she was a century old deity, still got scared of Tsunayoshi Sawada, her charge.
"Um, before we go—"Hestia fiddles with her hands as she takes a deep breath, composing herself "—there's something I have to tell you!"
Tsuna looks at her with a look a cross of confusion and exasperation. "Go on." He says, the tapping of his foot getting faster and faster.
"Well, er. Remember when I told you that I gave you an extension of your life?" Hestia says hesitantly, "When you woke up in your child's body?"
"That's kind of hard to forget, Hestia." Tsuna dryly says, not liking where this conversation is going. He looks at his hand though, baby face (he assumes) frowning. "Though, why did I get turned into a child? Why not a teen version of me—why a child?"
"We—-ll," Hestia prolongs the word, in an effort to buy time (for what? Tsuna did not know. He supposes it was what every child did when they were young and trying to get out of something bad that they did). "Um, it's a bit more complicated than that." Hestia takes a deep breath, preaparing herself for her next sentence. "Youdidn'tgetturnedintoachild!" Hestia spits out quickly, not giving Tsuna time to adjust and process and understand.
"Uh, mind repeating that again?" Tsuna raises an eyebrow, curious and confused. "Cause, I didn't hear a word. Like. At all."
Hestia bites her lips, "Well, you didn't get turned into a child." Hestia explains, "Instead your mind and soul got, um, transported into your past self's body." And before Tsuna can reply and do anything with that information, Hestia continues and rambles. "It was the only way Maryam would've accepted you being revived! Be transported back into the past and your child self was the only body we could take without it being really really weird! So, it's now basically my fault why you're stuck in a reincarnation-like situation!" Hestia was now turning gold, and snotty-faced. She was moving from all over the place, jittery and obviously nervous. "I mean! On the bright side, at least you aren't a girl and still is your gender! Or a thief! Or an arcobaleno! Or has a twin brother who abuses you or basically all things that isn't in line with your history! I mean—it happens sometimes! Ask any historian, ask—ask—ask Apollo and she'll tell you—"
"Oh, is that all?" Tsuna cuts her off, and then takes her arm and proceeds to go home, confusing the hell out of Hestia.
(They do not see, but in the shadows, a young skylark watches them with curious eyes. A young skylark curious of how the book appeared and disappeared so quickly, and what they mean by reincarnation.)
"Welcome home Tsu-kun—!" His mother greets him, and Tsuna gets weak in the knees. "Ara? Who is this pretty girl you've brought with you?" His mother blinks at him, as she smiles gently and warmly. (Once upon a time, Tsuna once thought his mother was of the Sky with how she seemed to accepted everything. He was wrong.)
He thought that Hestia was only joking when she tells her he was transported to the past (a lie, a filthy lie, somewhere in the back of your head you know she was telling the truth. you know hestia cannot lies—she cannot lie. she is bound by the laws, bound by the rules of her order and of her job to be fair and unbiased and—). He thought that she was pulling his leg, but to see his mother.
To see his mother.
To see his mother living and breathing and smiling and just plain alive once more, it is—it is—it is—no feeling can describe what Tsuna feels at this moment. It is warmth, happiness, and plain hope blooming from his chests slowly but surely, filling up his ribs with irises, and he feels it running in his veins. Hope winning over him and coloring him and just rising, and rising and rising until it explodes, splattering his whole being with despair, sadness, and worthlessness, replacing the warm color of hope as he gets reminded by his failures. It was his fault; his inexperience got his mother killed and he cannot forgive himself for that.
At this moment, this exact moment in where he sees someone that's supposed to be dead living and breathing and just doing things she used to do, it hits him. It hits him that he died, and he is in the past. He closes his hands in a tight fist, hard enough that he is sure when he opens it there will be crescent moons on his palms but he does not care because it hits him.
It hits him that he will meet and talk to dead people.
It hits him and he understands, he understands the rare power given to him—understands that this way he can change and he will change the future.
He will not waste the power given to him by Hestia and Maryam. He cannot, he will be a fool to do so.
He does not open his fists, and he further digs his nails into his palms, and he feels his skin breaking and feels blood dripping into his nails. He does not care and he keeps his hands like that, still staring at his mom in shock as he does, closed in a fist, praying once more to any god out there.
He runs to his room.
("Oh, um! I'm quite sorry, but I am a friend of your son." Hestia introduces herself, bowing slightly, in an attempt to distract the worried mother from her son's outburst. "It is a pleasure to meet you!"
"It's also a pleasure to meet you," Nana responds gracefully before touching her cheek and frowning in confusion. "Now, what's got into my little Tsu-kun." She hums, asking rhetorically, but Hestia takes this as a chance to pounce.
"Well—I suppose, it might be because of me?" Hestia starts. It does not feel right to lie to someone so pure and innocent like Nana, but there are wrongs that are still needed in the world. "You see, I'm quite new here! I work in the library near here, that's how Tsuna and I met, but you see—as I am new, I do not quite have a place to say. I suppose, Tsuna remembered that and got agitated? I read that once, in a book, that compassionate kids often get so empathetic that they also get stressed by it."
"Oh! What a caring young boy," Nana smiles, and it seems like the situation has been averted. "I know! We have plenty of room here, why don't you stay with us? It would be nice to have another person in the house!"
"Oh," Hestia flushes gold, and she hopes the other does not notice. "I couldn't possibly trespass and take advantage of your hospitality—"
Nana takes her hands, and Hestia sees a flash of desperation in her eyes. A flash of desperation that only screams out loneliness, and the Historian's heart can't help but soften. "Please." Nana says, sounding a little like begging, "I insist. You would not tread and take advantage of our hospitality! We are more than glad to take you in!"
Hestia sighs, "If you insist."
The smile she gets from Nana makes her a little proud. Now to get a job at the local library.)
"I want to change the future. I want to save everyone. I want to save him."
This is what Hestia hears when she enters the room of Tsuna. What she sees though, is a completely different matter. The room is filled with papers, from the ceiling to the walls. It consists of mostly Italian but Hestia can see smatterings of Japanese, Chinese and English among them. It no longer looks like a child's room, but rather a mad scientist's room about to make a breakthrough or a strategist's room about to go to war. She looks and realizes that all of them are rescue plans for the future deaths they will see. (she checks later, she checks later if there is any mention of him. there is none. there is almost fifty for his father, but none for him. her heart breaks, is his death really unavoidable?)
Hestia sighs, she did expect to hear this from her charge. "I know." She tells him, "I would be a fool if I ever thought otherwise."
"So, are you in with me?" Tsuna asks, his eyes hopeful and almost tinged with orange as he awaits Hestia's answer.
Hestia ruffles his head, almost taking pleasure from finally doing this to the other (it was always Tsuna who ruffles, not the other way around.) "I am your historian; I am bound to record your wants, needs, and actions." She smiles, almost wildly. "Besides, it would be boring to record the same things all over again! That'd drive me faster to insanity!"
The smile Tsuna gives her can rival even the brightest of suns and stars. Hestia embraces Tsunayoshi as tight as she can and she feels her charge smile and embraces back , firmer than what Hestia could ever give.
For once, all is right and all is peaceful.
("Before I forget! How did you know that I had an alternate future where I was a girl? Or a thief? Or an arcobaleno? Or had an abusive twin?" Tsuna eyes his historian with wary eyes and frowns. Hestia freezes. "Were you sacrificing your sanity once more?"
"No!" Hestia replies, a little too quickly, "I did not! I would never! I only asked around!"
Tsuna gives her a look that said serious repercussions if she continued to lie.
"Alright, maybe maybe sometimes!" Hestia cracked. "You can't blame me! I wanted to see all possible outcomes, and most of them were comedic! Some were downright tragic! I didn't want you to go through all that!"
"That doesn't mean you can give your sanity for me!" Tsuna retorts before sighing. He signals Hestia to come down and the girl crouched down to the Decimo's height. He ruffled the other's hair, earning him a groan. "Just—don't do it again next time, promise me?"
"I can't lie, but I'll try my best." is Hestia's reply.)
("Where will you sleep?" Tsuna asks, later that night after they have eaten. He already knows that Hestia will sleep in his house but he does not know what room.
Hestia frowns at him and then tilts her head childishly. She brings up her blanket and then points at a pillow on Tsuna's bed. "Here! Duh." She childishly tells him before diving into bed and wrapping herself with the blanket.
Tsuna smiles exasperatedly and joins her in bed. Something tells him that tomorrow would be a long day.)
(he hopes that he is wrong.)
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