.:.

The Smiling Stranger

.:.

Rough bark. A branch. Soft wind and the tinkling and clattering of a rusty doorknob.

"...who...?"

Grey-blue eyes.

"...where...you...?"

Laughter. Pain. Colors again. More colors. All swirling and spiraling, whirling about. Pounding. Head pounding. Aching.

"...udaime? Jyuudaime? Are you okay, Jyuudaime?"

Tsuna's eyes snapped open immediately, head pulsating from the loud voice near his ears. He groaned painfully and tried to sit up, sucking in a deep breath and wincing sharply when his shoulder felt like it had just snapped. Someone pushed him down again, pressing him back into the bed using a blanket lying over his chest, and the boy fell onto the pillows behind him. Tsuna sighed and tried to settle as comfortably as he could into the hot mattress underneath him. Then, he opened his eyes a sliver, glancing blearily about the room he was in. Everything was hazy. So hazy. Where was he...? What... had happened...? What had happened to Gokudera-kun and Mukuro? And those dangerous people? Tsuna's eyes widened and he frantically searched the room in panic. A familiar silver haired pyro's face appeared in his line of sight, smiling down upon him in relief. For a second or two, Tsuna blinked, wondering if this smiling person was really indeed Gokudera. He paused. And then, he licked his lips uncertainly.

"...Gokudera...kun...?"

The silver haired boy beamed and his eyes nearly sparkled with joy. "Jyuudaime! You're awake!"

"J-Jyuudaime...? Who's that...?" Tsuna mumbled, blinking again, now fully awake and aware. When had this personality change undergone? When had angry, stormy, fiery Gokudera turned into happy, gleeful, sparkly Gokudera?

"You, of course! Jyuudaime means Tenth in my home language, so I thought I'd call you that… since you're still the tenth reincarnation and all…" He became slightly subdued as he murmured out the words, but then quickly bounced back into his overly friendly persona, "After all, calling you by name would just be too disrespectful!" The silver haired boy grinned. Tsuna sank into Gokudera's words for a second and then his amber eyes widened considerably.

"Eh? How do you know I'm...?"

"I told him, Tsunayoshi-kun. He's your first guardian, after all." A voice came from the wall on the other side of the room. Tsuna lifted himself slightly off the bed and felt some relief when he found Mukuro leaning casually against the wall, arms folded across his chest and staff propped up beside him. The boy paused again when the last few words registered in his mind.

"First... guardian...?"

Mukuro smiled gently at him. "Remember the legend? One of the guardians wields short and destructive weapons. Like Hayato-kun's dynamite. And you felt drawn to Hayato-kun the first time we met on the road to Sidero, did you not?" The blue haired man continued to watch the boy, but the warmth behind his eyes had faded. "Congratulations, Sawada Tsunayoshi. You've found your first guardian. You don't have to worry about ending up like the other reincarnations since Hayato-kun is all prepared to die protecting you." Tsuna shivered, feeling uneasy from Mukuro's tone of voice. It made him feel... guilty for some strange reason or another. Gokudera growled and jumped up from his seat angrily, almost flipping his chair back from moving so quickly.

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

A bead of sweat ran down Tsuna's head and he reached a tentative hand out to Gokudera. This was the Gokudera he knew... but now that he thought about it, seeing him like this again made him feel a little frightened. Actually, Gokudera was sort of scary either way he acted...

"Umm... Gokudera-kun...?" Tsuna muttered softly. Gokudera spun around and then kneeled down so that his eyes were level with Tsuna's.

"Yes, Jyuudaime?" He asked gently back, reverting once again to his previous behavior. Tsuna smiled uneasily.

"Erm... what... happened...?" The boy lifted a hand up to hold his head and he blinked for a moment, in thought. "I can remember changing... and then I said something to you guys. And then... I can't really remember much else. I just remember a lot of fire... did you do something to stop me, Gokudera-kun? Did I hurt anyone badly...?" Tsuna lifted his concerned and wavering eyes up to look into Gokudera's smoky green ones. Gokudera was quiet and he merely stared into the boy's glowing amber eyes, watching them flicker with worry. A bright smile spread across his face and he shook his head quickly.

"Nope! Not at all. Jyuudaime is perfect!"

"Heh?" Tsuna watched Gokudera in confusion. He was... perfect? What was that supposed to mean? He had done everything just as he should've done? By whose standards...? Gokudera's? Tsuna blanched. Did he wreck up and destroy everything in the vicinity?

"Down, little doggie." Mukuro had moved to stand beside Gokudera and he was poking the silver haired boy's head with the end of his staff again. Gokudera growled and brushed the staff away, standing up to glare into the sorcerer's face with hatred. Mukuro merely smiled back, unaffected. Beads of sweat ran down Tsuna's head as he watched the two interact. Was it just him, or did those two not get along very well...? Mukuro grabbed Gokudera by the face and pushed the boy forcefully aside, earning him an unintelligent, 'Wuh—?' from the fiery pyro. The blue haired man moved to kneel beside Tsuna's bed and then started simply, "Well, I've already informed Gokudera of our plans and while you were sleeping, we went to finish up the last of the preparations. The rest is up to you now, Tsunayoshi-kun. Where should we go first? The mountain? The maiden's shrine? Or the lake?"

Tsuna shifted his eyes down to the bed sheets, lips parted open in a daze. He looked up again and smiled sheepishly at Mukuro. "Do you think... we can go to Karmella Mountain, first...? I sort of... want to see it. Plus, it's in the middle of all the provinces, right? That means, we can go anywhere from there without having to think too much about the distance, right?" Mukuro nodded in agreement.

"All right, then. Let's set off for Karmella Mountain." The blue haired sorcerer picked himself up and then started towards the doorway of the room. "We'll probably stay here for a few more nights though. You need to rest well because if you collapse along the journey, we won't be able to help you without doing more damage to your body."

Gokudera scoffed and muttered under his breath. "If Jyuudaime ever passed out on the road, I'd think of a way to help him without having to touch him..."

Mukuro shrugged and then turned to leave the room. Tsuna gulped, feeling that having the sorcerer leave so quickly was strange, and the boy started to climb slowly out from his bed, despite Gokudera's soft protests to keep him from moving. Tsuna extended a hand out to the blue haired man and he called out anxiously, "Wait, Mukuro! Where are you go—?" When he stood up, the blanket slipped away from his body and he felt the cold air hit his bare skin. The boy glanced down in surprise. His cheeks flushed pink as he found himself standing half-naked in the room, small torso exposed, and he hastily wrapped himself in the blanket again, yelping a small 'wah!' in embarrassment.

Mukuro watched the boy's actions in amusement and then chuckled. "I was thinking of going to the market to buy you some new clothes. The ones that you wore before were destroyed when you summoned Pyrkagia into your body. But..." Mukuro turned to fully face Tsuna again and his eyes gleamed dangerously, smile on his face spreading wider. "...if you would like me to stay and continue looking at your adorable little body, I'd gladly stay!"

Tsuna's face went red and he sat back down on the bed, squeaking a faint, "...no, thank you..."

Mukuro grinned cheekily, already on a roll, "Oh! Was that a 'no' to getting your clothes right now? Because I wouldn't mind it at all if you went through the entire journey without clothes...!"

Gokudera scowled at the blue haired sorcerer. "You're sick."

"Whaaat?" The sorcerer smiled charmingly. "Don't pretend that you weren't also ogling at Tsuna's bare body when you helped me wrap bandages around his shoulder..."

Gokudera blushed faintly and Tsuna's face continued to burn when he realized that during his sleep, they had both already seen how scrawny he was. The silver haired boy was now balling his fists by his sides and he was glaring so fiercely at Mukuro that the man ought to have died on the spot. The pyro shouted loudly, quickly defending himself, "I was staring for so long because I was surprised by all the bruises and burns on him! You saw them, too! They're horrible! What have you been doing to him before I met you two?"

"Mmm... that's a very interesting question..." Mukuro tapped his chin and then turned to the silver haired pyro with an eerie expression. "Why... maybe I'll just leave that to your young and overly active imagination, Ha-ya-to-kun...!" He winked suggestively, causing Gokudera's face to flush red in anger and embarrassment. Tsuna blushed furiously when he saw Gokudera's burning face and he shouted a loud, "Mukuro!" frantically, to stop the man from embarrassing the two of them further. The blue haired man chuckled a few 'kufufu's and then waggled his fingers at the two boys in a silent farewell before slipping out the door.

Gokudera and Tsuna watched the doorway for a few seconds and then turned to stare at each other quietly. Tsuna gulped and averted his eyes to the ground and Gokudera did the same, lifting a hand up to rub the back of his neck sheepishly. Then, the silver haired boy blinked in surprise as he remembered something. "Ah! Jyuudaime, I got something for you at the market!" Tsuna's mouth formed an 'o', eyes turning back to the other boy in slight shock. Why would Gokudera get him something at the market? The silver haired boy reached into his shirt and pulled a small purple container with golden leaf designs on the top. Then, he passed the container to Tsuna, sliding it across the ground gently to him, and Tsuna picked it up curiously.

"Gokudera-kun… what is…?"

The silver haired pyro grinned sheepishly and his hands flit back up to rub the back of his neck again. "It's just some ointment for your bruises. I thought… it might help…"

Tsuna gaped at Gokudera for a few seconds before smiling warmly and pulling the container to his chest like a treasure. A small blush fell across his cheeks as he received his surprise gift. "Th-Thank you…"

"N-Not at all, Jyuudaime…" Gokudera stuttered and smiled shyly, glad that the other boy liked his gift. They stared at each other and then averted their eyes once more, feeling a little awkward being alone together for the very first time. After a few more seconds of staring around the room and fishing through their heads for something to say, Gokudera finally thought of something. He smiled weakly and he licked his lips twice before opening his mouth to speak. "Umm... Jyuudaime...?"

Tsuna turned his gaze to the other boy and smiled softly when he found that they were both feeling just as uneasy as the other. He decided to break the awkwardness between them. "Yes, Gokudera-kun?" Gokudera looked up with hopeful eyes and moved to kneel a few feet away from Tsuna's bed. Then, he bowed with such vigor, his forehead collided into the wooden floor with a resounding thud. Tsuna's eyes went round, completely taken by surprise.

"Jyuudaime! I am so sorry for acting so rudely the first time we met! Nothing I ever do will change what has happened in the past but if there's anything I can do to make you forgive me even a little, please tell me right now and I'll do it!"

"A-ah... Go-Gokudera-kun...!" Tsuna gulped, sweat running down his head as the silver haired pyro smacked his head against the floorboards again. "Wah! Gokudera-kun! Please, stop!" The amber eyed boy reached forward to stop the other boy, but when he moved forward, his foot stepped onto a corner of his large blanket and he tripped forward, feet slipping out from under him. The boy went sprawling to the ground in front of Gokudera and the pyro's head snapped up from the ground when he heard Tsuna fall. He gasped at the sight before him.

"Jyuudaime!"

Tsuna sat up and held his shoulder in pain, eyes tearing up. "OW! Ow, ow, ow!" He rubbed the bandages and then stopped when it only hurt the more he touched it. Gokudera could only watch from the side in worry. His eyes fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Jyuudaime. You... got hurt to protect me..." He clenched his fists together and they trembled from being all too tense. "You... risked your life for me... when no one else would ever do that for me... Jyuudaime..." Tsuna watched the shaking hands in concern and turned his eyes on Gokudera's bowed form. The boy looked so dejected. His silver bangs were falling over his face and he couldn't see the other boy's eyes anymore. He couldn't see those beautiful, smoky green eyes full of such strength and determination...

"Gokudera-kun..."

The silver haired boy lifted his head up slowly, gazing back into Tsuna's warm, amber eyes. They were the same ones that had looked straight at him while saying those lovely words...

"We're friends, aren't we...?"

Tsuna sent Gokudera a tender smile that seemed to touch the silver haired boy's face in the way he couldn't do himself. "Gokudera-kun, it's okay... I'm just glad that you're safe. How is your arm? I remember you were also hit by those claws, too…" The green eyed boy stared at Tsuna in wonder and then a large smile broke across his face.

"Jyuudaime! I don't care what happens anymore. If it's for Jyuudaime, I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!" He grinned brightly and Tsuna laughed hesitantly. It sounded like such a corny line but Gokudera was probably saying it really seriously...

After a few seconds of strangely comforting silence, Tsuna spoke up timidly again.

"Er... Gokudera-kun, you... don't have to call me 'Jyuudaime'. 'Tsuna' is just fine..."

Gokudera frowned and then leaned forward in an almost threatening way. "Absolutely not."

Tsuna gulped and then nodded quickly, letting Gokudera do as he wished. He sighed and hung his head to the side. Gokudera was pretty scary after all...! Tsuna leaned his back against the side of the bed and then stared idly up at the ceiling, wondering what to do now. Images of the people clad in black returned to his mind and his eyebrows furrowed together. "Gokudera-kun... who were those people anyway...?"

Gokudera blinked once and scratched his head in confusion. "Who?"

Tsuna pushed himself up and let his eyes fall upon the silver haired boy again. "Those people with the claw-like weapons. The ones you were blowing up with the... I think Mukuro called them, 'dynamite'?"

"Ohh... yeah, dynamite..." Gokudera's eyes averted to the side and then he glanced up at Tsuna hesitantly. "Well... those guys..." He let out a deep sigh and then his eyes hardened, green orbs glinting in the light with what Tsuna could identify as pure hatred. Tsuna swallowed. "They're assassins..." Gokudera spat out and stared at the floor with an intense gaze. The chestnut haired boy gasped as the floor seemed to smoke a little as his companion spoke. "Murderers who don't give a shit about anything but themselves. They'll kill just for the heck of killing. They don't need any reason to take another person's life...!" Tsuna watched his new friend worriedly, wondering if maybe someone very important to Gokudera had been killed by that group of people. The boy licked his lips nervously and spoke in a very soft voice.

"So... they were trying to kill you...?"

Gokudera's eyes narrowed. "Probably..."

"Why would they be...?" Tsuna trailed off when he noticed someone standing in the doorway, blinking into the room in a confused way. "Hnngh?" The chestnut haired boy voiced unintelligently, staring at the tall, black haired man peering into the room. The young man had messy unkempt hair that seemed to stick up and sweep slightly to the side at the top of his head and he wore clothes that were all dusty from travel. On his right shoulder was a heavy looking bag and sticking up from behind his left shoulder was a long cloth-bound object, wrapped flush against his back and ends tied tightly to his chest. The man's eyes fell onto them curiously and a faint blush suddenly lit up his face. Gokudera turned around, immediately frowning in irritation when he saw the young man in the doorway.

The black haired youth smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, the blush still apparent on his cheeks. "Oh! Sorry, wrong room... umm... I'm sorry for interrupting your little moment there... Uhh, just pretend I was never here! Sorry again!"

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked, wondering what the young man had meant by his words. First, he glanced around the room. Then, he studied Gokudera curiously and then lastly, checked himself. The boy's eyes widened when he noticed that the blanket wrapped around him had slipped from his shoulders, exposing a fair amount of skin, and Tsuna blushed crimson, hastily pulling the blanket up around his shoulders again. "Ah! W-Wait, it's not what you think!"

But the young man had already left the doorway in a hurry and had moved down the hall, leaving Gokudera and Tsuna to sit on the floor of the room, staring blankly at the spot the young man had been occupying. Tsuna's mouth dropped wide open. What kind of weird stranger would look into a room and then smile cheerily while implying strange things by saying, "Whoops, wrong room, I'm sorry I've interrupted your little moment so just pretend I was never here, bye"? And wait, why were there strangers stopping in front of doors anyway?

"Where... exactly are we, Gokudera-kun...?" Tsuna asked the silver haired boy and Gokudera smiled in response.

"We're still in Sidero. In a hotel about two blocks away from where we fought. After you passed out, we just got you here as quick as we could." Gokudera rubbed the back of his neck slowly and his eyes fell to the ground. "We tried to lift you up and take you to the hotel... but when we touched you, your body started to shake really badly... we couldn't pick you up without the risk of you falling. Mukuro even said we might accidentally kill you if we held you for too long..." Tsuna's eyes lowered and he sighed deeply. He was so useless... his body caused so much trouble for them... Gokudera continued, "So, we got the hotel manager and he helped us make a stretcher for you. Then we brought you here with the stretcher. We explained that you were caught in a gas leak explosion so he doesn't know anything about you being the reincarnation of Aura."

"Ahh..." Tsuna nodded slowly, starting to understand what had happened while he had been out. He smiled sheepishly at the silver haired boy and scratched his cheek. "Umm... sorry... for being so much trouble..."

Gokudera shook his head quickly, "Jyuudaime is no trouble at all! As long as Jyuudaime is near me, I'll never be troubled again." He smiled with a happy blush upon his cheeks, looking almost like a child for a second, and Tsuna was surprised to find himself liking that smile a lot. The boy looked so happy compared to how he usually looked... it made his chest warm up just by watching the pyro smile in such a genuine way.

Mukuro entered the room again, holding a bundle of cloth in his arms. Gokudera frowned immediately, face reverting back to its usual expression.

"Ah! Mukuro-san, you're back!" Tsuna's eyes fell onto the clothes in the sorcerer's hands. His eyes widened slightly as the clothing looked similar to the ones he had seen in a certain store Mukuro had been staring at for a while. It had been a women's clothes store. "Mukuro-san, you did not...!" He started slowly in a scolding tone, eyes narrowed warningly. The blue haired sorcerer smiled in a syrupy way and he unfurled the clothes from his arms with a flourish, running forward to hold the clothes up in front of Tsuna's thin body, still wrapped in his blankets.

"Hayato-kun, don't you think these dresses would look so cute on Tsunayoshi-kun?" Mukuro held up a small light blue sun dress and Gokudera stared on speechlessly, captivated by the sight of all the dresses lined up to Tsuna's body. Tsuna's cheeks burned and his face grew hot before he quickly hopped away from Mukuro, moving to the other end of the room, still wrapped in his mass of blankets.

"Mukuro! I am NOT wearing those! Go back and find something else!" The amber eyed boy cried desperately but the sorcerer only jumped in front of him, chasing the boy until he had him trapped against a corner of the room. "Gokudera-kun...! Help me!" Tsuna yelped, backing into the small corner, trying to keep himself as far away from Mukuro as possible.

"Gladly, Jyuudaime..." Gokudera smirked and then lifted his index finger and thumb, pointing them at one of the dresses and firing as if his fingers were a gun. The dress instantly burnt to a crisp. Gokudera pulled his fingers to his mouth and blew at an imaginary smoke, smirking cheekily as Mukuro turned to pout at him.

.:.

In the end, Tsuna had insisted that they carry on, despite his wounded shoulder. After getting a proper set of clothes for Tsuna, they stayed for another night at the hotel and the next morning, the trio gathered all their belongings and packed their provisions for the two-day walk to Mt. Karmella.

"I'm ready, Jyuudaime! Do you need any help?" Gokudera beamed, a dark leather bag strapped to his back, crossing over the clean white shirt he wore. The boy drew on a patched cloak that draped over his backpack and clothes, all to keep out any dust kicked up from the road. The cloak had a large hood on the back that he could pull over his head at any moment. Tsuna, whose injured shoulder had been wrapped against his chest so that it wouldn't move and make the injury worse, hefted his bag over his uninjured shoulder with one hand and he clumsily pulled on a similar cloak, using his fingers to hook the front of it up with the strings at the top. Then, he shook his head gratefully, sending a smile towards the silver haired boy.

"I'm fine, Gokudera-kun. I've got everything packed..." He turned his head to inspect the blue haired man a few feet away. "What about you, Mukuro-san?" The sorcerer whipped his long black jacket over his body and smoothly slipped his arms in. After straightening the collar of his jacket and picking up a small bag, along with his pointed staff, he smiled and gestured to the doorway.

And so they set off.

The three males left the hotel and made their way to the eastern entrance of the city at an easy pace. Mukuro frowned a little when he noticed that Tsuna had moved to walk behind him again, joining Gokudera's side. The sorcerer sighed to himself but kept his eyes on the road. A group of people from Sidero were walking ahead of them and Tsuna could pick out a few sentences from the women's gossip.

"Oh my, that's very dangerous, isn't it?"

"But it's true! Only a few days ago, my son had been robbed by that group of bandits. It was terrible! He came ambling back home, head all bloody and arms all broken. I was so terrified for him!"

"Oh, you poor dear! I swear, bandit groups these days have been increasing drastically. What with the revolutionaries rising in Fotizo and that horrible group of assassins from southern Prykagia. Now, bandits in the east... I heard that they have a base near Karmella Mountain..."

"That can't be possible! Aura's Sanctuary, the base of those horrible bandits? It can't be true..."

"Oh no, I believe it is true. Just yesterday, remember that young man who went up to pay a visit to the gods?"

"Oh yes, that grayish-silver haired fellow?"

"Well, he was ambushed! Right at the foot of the mountain! My husband saw it with his own two eyes while driving his wagon. He drove home straight away. He didn't know what happened to that man..."

"Terrible. Terrible, those bandits... someone ought to hang them all..."

Tsuna blanched. Okay... he had been expecting some better news... But apparently, that wasn't the case... He gulped and felt a chill run through his body. Had he made the wrong decision...? Mukuro spoke gently from in front of him and Tsuna lifted his head up to stare at the man's back with large eyes.

"Do not worry, Tsunayoshi-kun. The bandits will not be a threat to you."

Gokudera grinned and lifted a fisted hand up confidently. "Yeah! Those bandits will have to go through me before laying a single finger on Jyuudaime!" Tsuna smiled back at them kindly but his stomach still churned with unease.

Soon, the group of people and the trio came to a crossroads. One lane went straight down another way, stone roads breaking into crumbs of dust, all worn by the ruts of wagon wheels rolling across it every day. The other lane went curving off into the distance, path slightly worn from the people and wagons that went down there. It was grown over with a few small shrubs and several gophers peeked their heads out from mounds of dirt, staring curiously at the people with their beady black eyes. The group of people chattered and left down the straight road, feet pounding into the ground, causing a thin cloud of dust to rise around their legs. Mukuro stared at the sign at the crossroads and then turned to Tsuna, smiling.

"Well, Sawada Tsunayoshi. It looks like we'll be taking the path less taken." He gestured his staff in the direction of the newer looking lane, curving off to the right. In the far far distance, Tsuna could see a few tall trees framing the roadside and the light clouds in the sky were creeping slowly across the clear blue, skimming over the tops of the trees. He took a deep breath and then let it all out, sighing. Then, Tsuna nodded and Gokudera smiled supportively. The trio began once again, down the curling path of white stone.

.:.

It was dusk. The sky was stained with pink and orange all over, stretching into a deep purple in front of them. They were heading to the east and the sun was at their backs, urging them all on with its last breath before snuffing out under the horizon and letting the dark moon take over its duty in governing the skies. Tsuna rubbed his eyes with his free hand, weary from walking for hours on end. They had rested a few times along the way but his feet still ached, unused to such travel. His bag was resting heavily on him and his feet dragged behind. Gokudera walked slowly beside the brunet, watching him in concern.

"Jyuudaime... should we rest again? We'll make it there by tomorrow even if we do..." His eyebrows furrowed together, wondering why the amber eyed boy pushed himself so much. "You're still wounded... you should rest..."

Tsuna shook his head and stifled a yawn with a hand. He blinked his eyes and widened them to keep the lids open. "No... the sooner we get rid of my curse the better, right? I just... can't wait knowing that in just a few days, I could... I could be able to hold other people with my hands..." The boy turned to Gokudera, smiling weakly. "I'm sorry... I'm being so selfish..." Gokudera shook his head and smiled gently back at the boy, only thankful that he could hear how the boy truly felt. Suddenly, the wind blew hard, sending their cloaks and jackets up and out behind them. Leaves leaped into the air, swirling around and behind them. Tsuna lifted an arm to block out the dust from entering his eyes and he kept one eye open anxiously, staring at Mukuro's form standing in front of him. A chill ran through Tsuna's body and the boy involuntarily shivered. What was this feeling coursing through him...? His veins pulsed and his heartbeat pumped wildly in his chest. Was it dread? Foreboding? Something was moving in the shadows of the darkening trees. Tsuna swallowed the hard lump rising in his throat. His mouth had gone dry. There wasn't only one shadow. There were many. Much too many.

"The bandits." Gokudera growled harshly under his breath, pulling out his dynamite from his clothes. Mukuro stepped back, moving nearer to Tsuna, red and blue eyes shifting slowly from tree to tree. A few shadows moved out from behind the trees and they surrounded their group, all holding various knives and wooden staffs. Tsuna gulped and backed away, shuffling as close as possible to Gokudera and Mukuro. One of the shadows suddenly flashed out from behind the tree and Mukuro leapt forward, clashing metal against metal. He frowned as he noticed a long scythe against his staff. It was engulfed in an unnatural red flame. He had never seen such a weapon before...

The person wielding the scythe wore a black beret and his skin was dark, although light colored facial hair grew messily about his chin and jaws. The man was large and tall; much more muscular than the blue haired sorcerer. But Mukuro merely watched the man expressionlessly, arms unwavering under the great pressure being applied by the man. The man jumped back, staring at the blue haired sorcerer coldly, while Mukuro stood up straight, eyes narrowing at the ragged black clothes the man wore. Another person rushed out from behind a tree, bright purple hair streaking through the air, and Gokudera quickly tossed his dynamite out, combusting the gunpowder with his flames. The flash of purple leapt aside before they were hit by the unpredictable explosion and they slid to a stop. Gokudera scowled when he took in the appearance of the attacker; a boy who seemed to have purple hair all over his head, some of it tied up lazily by a rubber band. The boy grinned fiendishly back at him as a strong wind blew his long purple hair out to the side and swept at Gokudera's hair and clothes violently.

"I'll take care of these weaklings, Tazaru-aniki! Don't any of you interfere." The purple haired boy addressed the dozens of other people, all dressed in tattered clothes. The larger man responded with a stoic, "Don't screw up, Nosaru. They look like good prey." The one named Nosaru merely smirked and then ran forward, bringing his scythe behind him and slicing it at Gokudera.

The silver haired boy grunted in annoyance and jumped to the side while shouting to Tsuna, "Get back, Jyuudaime! Stay close to Mukuro, I'll take care of this guy!" The brunet watched Gokudera worriedly, eyebrows furrowed together. Mukuro sent the silver haired boy a look of boredom and then glanced at the other enemies. His lips quirked upward and the number in his red eye swiveled to a 'one'. Vines burst from the ground and then wrapped around all the people present, except for Tsuna and Gokudera. The people gasped in shock as they were entangled in the vines and no matter how much they hacked at them, they could not escape from its grasp. A few buds of peach-white flowers bloomed and Tsuna watched the plants with fascination.

"...flowers...?"

Mukuro laughed and Tsuna looked up at the blue haired man in surprise, watching the man's red eye glow brightly. "Lotus flowers. Aren't they lovely?" Mukuro chuckled and the stems grew thicker and stronger, strangling the men trapped inside. Gokudera scowled and pointed a finger at Mukuro.

"Hey! Don't butt in, you bastard!"

Nosaru grunted irritably as he struggled against the flowers, scythe fallen on the ground. "What is this stuff?"

"I've heard about this before... be careful, one of them is a sorcerer! It's all just an illusion!" Tazaru shouted at the others as one of the stems wrapped around his throat and started squeezing his neck tightly. The man choked and then after a couple of seconds, his movements started to grow more and more sluggish.

"Tazaru-nii!" Nosaru thrashed against the binds, eyes widening when he saw the large man lying limply in the vines. "Tazaru-nii!" Mukuro turned towards Tsuna and then nonchalantly gestured towards an opening in the circle of flowers.

"Come, Tsunayoshi-kun... ignore them and we'll continue along our way. You, too, puppy." The blue haired man waved at Gokudera vaguely and the silver haired boy growled angrily, shouting a ferocious, "Don't call me that!" Tsuna nodded slowly and followed Mukuro and Gokudera out of the ring of trapped men, but before he left, he glanced over his shoulder to stare at the choking people. The boy bit the bottom of his lip and then looked up at Mukuro again.

"Umm... Mukuro-san... you're not... going to kill them, are you?"

The blue haired sorcerer peered down at the boy and continued to smile as the boy's large eyes stared straight at him, all too worried for the group of bandits. His eyes twinkled in the coming darkness. "I might."

Tsuna immediately frowned. "Mukuro-san...!"

Mukuro let out a small sigh. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, you don't have to care about them so much. They're bandits. People who were trying to rob you, even if it meant killing you in order to do so. They are not worth your sympathy or love for that matter."

"But... but...!" Tsuna watched Mukuro defiantly, thinking that killing others was just wrong. "Those people... they must be robbing others for a reason... there must be... something they are willing to protect that we don't know about. A reason that wills them to kill and hurt others... just... as we do..."

Gokudera's eyes grew hard in the darkness as he heard those words and he clenched his hands at his sides. He knew Tsuna was right. He knew it. But... even so, he did not want to understand what their reasons were. Those assassins' reasons for cruelly murdering his people...

Mukuro sighed deeply again and then he nodded his head gently. "All right, Tsunayoshi-kun. I will not kill them, as you wish... but by doing so, you will be putting all of us in danger in the future... for not everyone is as loving or understanding as you are." Tsuna gulped when Mukuro ended his statement coldly. The glow surrounding his red eye faded and the brown haired boy could hear the thuds of bodies on the ground as they were released from their illusions. The people coughed, choked, and gasped for air and Tsuna sighed in relief, glad that they hadn't died already.

Truthfully... he just didn't want to see Mukuro or Gokudera kill anyone anymore... He was worried for the two. What was the reason behind Gokudera's reluctance to use his innate gifts that could easily allow him to burn everyone to death...? What was the reason behind Mukuro's unpredictable moments of using his sorcery that could promptly wipe a town out...? If they could kill so easily and protect themselves by killing others, why did they hold back so much? It was because they knew exactly how much power they had in the palm of their hands. And it could be scary. Knowing that one person had the power to kill another person accidentally. It was just as scary as knowing that one person could all too easily and accidentally snap a baby's neck in half. The power to snuff out and take away another person's life was not something that could be so easily controlled or manipulated. Never without its consequences... Tsuna clenched his teeth together and closed his eyes. He didn't want to see those two suffer from the burden of killing anymore. Tsuna peered at Mukuro's profile, who was now staring emotionlessly at the road before them. The countless number of people the sorcerer had killed in the past... they were all reflected in his eyes and face... That tired and nearly expressionless face that only smiled because smiling was something to do to confuse others. Tsuna didn't want to see that man burdened with anymore. No more! Because if Mukuro continued to kill... he was afraid... all too afraid that the man would grow so tired... that he would even grow tired of living itself.

Suddenly, Tsuna heard someone stand up from the group of people. Nosaru growled in anger, massaging his throat and pulling himself up with his scythe. "You... doing that to Tazaru-nii...! I'll have your heads!" And then, he ran forward, whipping his scythe around his body, sending a strange wave of energy towards them. Tsuna's eyes widened considerably as the attack came his way. His feet were frozen to the ground and his heart seemed to have stopped, breath stuck somewhere in the middle of his throat. A flash of silver leapt into his eyes and he cried when a stinging pain burst on his arms as Gokudera grabbed him and pushed him to the ground hastily. A loud blast came from behind them and the pyro quickly rolled away so that he didn't hurt Tsuna more than necessary. He crouched low on his feet, glaring at Nosaru fiercely, and he lifted a hand up to grip the wound that had opened on his arm after being nicked by the end of the attack. Tsuna lifted himself from the ground and his eyes wavered when he saw the blood spilling from the boy's arm and staining his cloak and white sleeves in a fresh crimson red.

"Go-Gokudera-kun...!" He exclaimed, watching the pyro wince and grip his wound tighter. Gokudera sent a small smile towards the amber eyed boy who was staring back at him in such a frightened way.

"Jyuudaime, it's okay." He whispered softly to calm the other boy down. How stupid of him... to hurt himself and make Jyuudaime so worried... "This is nothing." He continued to reassure Tsuna gently. The small cloud of dust that had kicked up from the blast cleared and Mukuro stood upright, staff held up in front of him. Nosaru frowned considerably when he found that his attack had only burnt Mukuro's hands and he leapt at the man, clashing scythe against staff.

"That's an interesting weapon you have there... where did you get it?" The sorcerer asked idly while blocking the attacks from the purple haired boy. Nosaru ground out through his teeth,

"None of your business...!"

"Oh? Is that so... well, then. That's too bad." The number in Mukuro's eyes changed once again, this time to a 'four', and he easily evaded Nosaru's next attack. In an instant, the blue haired man lifted the blunt end of his staff up and seemingly walked through the purple haired boy. A few strands of his blue hair floated up and then fell against his forehead as he moved. Nosaru blinked in confusion and was about to face the sorcerer again when suddenly, his clothes started ripping up in various places, accompanied by bursts of pain. He grimaced and hung onto his scythe weakly, realizing at once what had happened in that split second the blue haired man passed him by.

"A sorcerer... who is also skilled in combat? I've never heard of it...!"

Mukuro moved towards Tsuna and Gokudera, ignoring the purple haired bandit. He knelt before the chestnut haired boy and asked simply, "Are you all right?" Tsuna's eyes fell to Mukuro's hands and then flickered to Gokudera's bleeding arm.

"Mukuro... y-your hands... Gokudera's arm... it's... it's my—!"

"It's not your fault, Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro sighed exasperatedly as the boy continued to tremble beneath his gaze.

But Tsuna shivered and stuttered quietly, eyes watering. "I... I-I just didn't... want you two to be... burdened anymore when you killed other people..."

Mukuro and Gokudera blinked once and then glanced at each other, sharing the same odd look. After watching each other for a moment, Gokudera's eyes softened and he lowered his eyes to the ground. Mukuro, on the other hand, frowned a little. He started to argue, "I've killed many people over the past few decades... a few more won't—"

"I know!" Tsuna shouted in frustration, clenching his eyes together. His voice went quiet again. "I know... but...!" He lifted his amber eyes to stare at Mukuro, eyes shining in the night with fear and worry, and he reached a hand out to the man's face, eyes darting back and forth anxiously. "...your face... your eyes... you... look so tired. Tired... of living..." The voice grew hoarser and softer as the boy spoke. Mukuro felt his body freeze as Tsuna's fingers came close to touching his cheek and his eyes widened, staring directly into the boy's glowing amber ones. They seemed to plead to him. Please... please stay with me... A small, genuine smile lifted the corners of his lips and Mukuro watched Tsuna gently before closing his eyes, feeling the boy's touch only a few hairs away from his face.

"I... understand."

The man pulled away and stood up, smirking down at the boy. "But really, you are so silly, Tsunayoshi-kun. How could I possibly die when I still have to put an end to your curse?" Tsuna blinked in surprise and then wiped away at the tears that were about to come, sending Mukuro a faint smile, cheeks blushing lightly in embarrassment. The man's eyes curved up in a crescent shape and then he turned to face the people behind him. "Kufufu... now, shall we settle this...?" His haunting red eye landed upon the bandits and his usual smile crept across his face again. "Don't worry, I'll only knock you out unconscious. I don't want your worthless lives."

The group of bandits backed away irritably, watching the dangerous sorcerer carefully. And then, a shout cried from the back of the group.

"There's another person coming from behind us!"

A few members of the group turned their heads towards the intruder and the rest continued to watch Mukuro with hatred. A wisp of something flew around them and the bandits watched the strange blue colored swallow swirl around in the air, spiraling around them irritatingly. Gokudera's eyes narrowed as he watched the bird and Tsuna stared in awe. It looked... so beautiful. Like water. A bird made of water...? There was an enormous gust of wind that sent a few bandits flying backwards and falling into their comrades. And then a curious voice came from the middle of the road a few meters away from the trio.

"Strange... why are all these people suddenly attacking me...?"

Tsuna blinked once. Why... did that voice sound so familiar...?

And then from the dust, the chestnut haired boy spotted someone in the shadows. He was tall and his hair looked messy, seemingly spiking up in random directions. Tsuna's eyes widened and he pointed at the person appearing from the cloud of dust.

"Gokudera-kun! It's that guy...! The smiling weird guy who entered our room!"

Gokudera blinked for a second and then scowled in annoyance. "What the hell is that guy doing here?"

Mukuro noticed the young man beckon the water bird back to his side and he pointed out cheerily. "Well, it looks like your friend is a swordsman. And he's saving us from peril." The blue haired sorcerer grinned cheekily at the silver haired pyro. "Too bad, Hayato-kun. He's taking over your job."

"WHA?" Gokudera spluttered and glared at Mukuro before sending his glare straight at the young man with dark hair and chocolate brown eyes, who was in turn, blinking at them in confusion like an idiot. Gokudera let out a sharp 'che' and whipped his body around, treading down the path leading to their destination. "I don't like him. Let's go, Jyuudaime. Before he starts talking to us..."

"Hm?" The young man voiced when he noticed the trio standing behind the bandits. "Ah! Hey! I know you guys! Hi—!" The man waved eagerly at the trio, causing Tsuna to stare dumbly back and Gokudera to mutter a short, "shit!" under his breath. The bandits—who were caught in between the trio and the swordsman—scowled, feeling completely neglected by the two groups. It was as though they didn't exist in the four's eyes! But, of course, that was not true. For Tsuna hesitantly pointed at the bandits, wondering if maybe they should all run first before introducing each other and exchanging greetings. The three other males seemed to disregard their situation and only focused on each other; the new stranger smiled cheerily, Mukuro smiled sweetly back, and Gokudera growled furiously. A bead of sweat ran down Tsuna's head.

"Uhh... guys, I think we should focus on..." His eyes widened as one of the bandits rushed towards him with a knife, his reward for paying attention. "HIIIEE!"

"Hey!" The dark haired swordsman sent his bird swooping towards the bandit who was running at Tsuna. The swallow dived down and then circled the man's legs, tightening itself abruptly, causing him to fall forwards and drop his knife. The swordsman frowned and scolded the bandit. "Those are really dangerous, you know? You shouldn't be running into others with that thing."

Tsuna stared at the young man incredulously. Did he not understand that they were being ambushed by bandits right now...?

Gokudera stepped forward, a fisted hand in front of him as he bared his teeth at the swordsman. "I won't let you be Jyuudaime's guardian, you smiling freak. Go away!" But Mukuro grinned and said the opposite thing.

"Why, hello there! I am Rokudo Mukuro, a humble and traveling sorcerer. The one cowering so cutely over there is Sawada Tsunayoshi, and the temperamental one beside me is Gokudera Hayato. Who may you be, stranger?"

The remaining bandits rushed towards the swordsman—as Mukuro finished introducing himself and his companions—but with a few slashes and slices, they all went flying backwards forcefully, repelled by the back of the young man's sword, and they fell into the trees, knocked unconscious, just as Mukuro had warned them they would be. The man jogged up towards the trio and his bird moved to perch upon Tsuna's uninjured shoulder. He smiled sheepishly at them and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry about that. I don't know why but people have been attacking me ever since I started walking down this road... oh, and I'm Yamamoto Takeshi. Nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand to Mukuro and they shook hands casually. Yamamoto moved to Gokudera, who promptly crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away. The swordsman continued to smile, but a bead of sweat ran down the side of his cheek. Why did that guy not like him so much...? Then, Yamamoto turned to Tsuna and he blinked for a moment, staring at his bird settled peacefully on Tsuna's shoulder. A wide grin spread across his lips. "Oh? He never really liked anyone much. But I guess you're an exception, eh?" Tsuna looked up at the dark haired swordsman and the two stared at each other for a while, amber reflecting in chocolate. Tsuna smiled and moved his hand out, signaling for the water bird. The swallow flew down and perched itself on Tsuna's uninjured arm, hopping along, causing speckles of water to fly out from its tail like crystal in the pale moonlight. Tsuna giggled and smiled at the bird, watching the creature in fascination. Yamamoto beamed and stuck out his hand in a friendly gesture. "You're Sawada Tsunayoshi, right? Mind if I just call you Tsuna?" Gokudera growled in a very unfriendly way but Tsuna shook his head, smiling.

"Tsuna is fine. Nice to meet you, Yamamoto-kun."

The young man smiled and waited for Tsuna to shake hands with him. After blinking a few times, Tsuna gasped and blushed in embarrassment, unused to the gesture. Then, he moved his hand hesitantly towards Yamamoto's, wondering if he should really touch the other man's hand. What if he jerked away from the pain...? Wouldn't that give Yamamoto the wrong idea...? But before his hand touched Yamamoto's, Gokudera leapt in between the two, pushing Yamamoto backwards.

"Don't touch Jyuudaime, you idiotic swordsman. You don't know a thing about us!"

Yamamoto laughed nervously, lifting his hands up to appease the ferocious silver haired man, who was shoving him backward. "Sorry! I just wanted to get to know you guys. I mean, it's not every day you get to meet people twice in just two days. But since you think I don't know anything, I'll be willing to learn from you..."

Tsuna pulled his hand back to himself and smiled sadly, clutching his hand to his chest. The little water swallow flew around Tsuna's head and hovered in front of the boy's face. It cocked its head to the side and opened its mouth to make a silent chirp. Mukuro quietly observed Tsuna from the side and then flung an easy smile towards Yamamoto.

"Sure, I'll explain everything to you, Takeshi-kun."

Gokudera immediately stopped and turned on his heel to gape at the blue haired sorcerer. Tsuna gazed at Mukuro in surprise.

Why was he treating Yamamoto so nicely...?

"But you'll have to be prepared..." Mukuro's eyes flashed and he moved to stare deeply into the swordsman's chocolate brown eyes. "...do you think you will be able to walk beside us even after listening to our story...?"

Yamamoto gulped slightly and then chuckled, a little hesitant. "Erm... I think so..." The blue haired sorcerer studied the swordsman for another second before backing away. He beamed brightly.

"Good. Welcome to the group, our second guardian! Now let's keep going to Karmella Mountain!"

Tsuna and Gokudera's mouths fell open. What? Were guardians found and picked up from the road so easily? Gokudera looked Yamamoto up and down, surveying the young man suspiciously.

"How could this guy be a guardian? He's so stupid looking. Look at him. Look at him blinking at us with those stupid eyes showing us just how stupid and oblivious to everything he is. He's the ultimatum of stupidity. The very statue of idiocy. I bet his brain is just full of air. He's an airhead. A definite airhead." Gokudera continued to rant on about how stupid the swordsman was and a bead of sweat ran down Tsuna's head as Yamamoto smiled, taking Gokudera's every word in stride. Mukuro chuckled and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"But, Hayato-kun... if you recall the legend... isn't there a part that mentions how the two guardians bickered with each other a lot...?"

As Gokudera was about to spout out some more words defining how stupid Yamamoto was, his eyes widened and his mouth promptly shut with a 'click!'. Tsuna shifted from one foot to the other nervously. "But, Mukuro-san... are you sure Yamamoto-kun is a guardian...? I don't want to accidentally drag other people into my problem..." Especially not a nice seeming person like Yamamoto...

Mukuro pointed at the sword Yamamoto held in his left hand. The blade glimmered under the moonlight as it was addressed by the blue haired sorcerer. "Remember what the legend said about the other guardian?"

...One guardian wielded a long and sharp weapon that could slice even metal and stone apart...

Yamamoto lifted his sword up, inspecting it carefully before sheathing it behind his back. "My sword? What about it? It was passed on to me from my dad." The dark haired swordsman grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "After that, he told me to go travel the world, so... here I am. I was planning on staying in Sidero for a while, but yesterday night, I had a nagging feeling I should head to Karmella Mountain. So I left this morning."

Mukuro shrugged his shoulders and smiled wryly. "Fate's will again?"

Gokudera growled angrily, ears nearly steaming, and then he stomped off down the road to Karmella Mountain, muttering curses under his breath, all along the lines of "Damn bastard, I'll never recognize that idiot as Jyuudaime's guardian!" and so on. Yamamoto watched the silver haired pyro storm down the road in amusement and then moved towards Tsuna's side.

"Is he always like that?" The swordsman chuckled, pointing towards Gokudera. Tsuna laughed and shook his head in response. Yamamoto smiled and then slung an arm casually about the boy's shoulders. He was about to ask which legend they were talking about, but just as his arm touched Tsuna's shoulder and bare neck, Tsuna yelped in pain and pulled away, surprising Yamamoto greatly. "Are you okay...?" The dark haired swordsman exclaimed, wondering what had happened. His eyes widened as the back of Tsuna's neck immediately started to bruise a greenish-purple. "Why did your skin...?" And suddenly, Mukuro was by his side, an eerie look in his eyes.

"Oh yes, I forgot one small detail. Please refrain from touching Tsunayoshi-kun in any way. He can't touch or be touched by anyone he loves, which means all of us by the way. Otherwise, you'll hurt him." Mukuro's fiery red eye fixed itself upon Yamamoto coldly. "So... if I catch you touching him in any way, I will not hesitate to kill you." And then the blue haired sorcerer left them with a swish of his clothes and joined the steaming Gokudera up ahead. Yamamoto's eyes widened considerably. Can't touch or be touched by any loved ones...? That sounded... so familiar...

"Tsuna... the legend you guys are talking about... could it be?"

The brunet lifted a hand up to quickly clamp over the darkening bruise on his neck and he smiled sheepishly up at Yamamoto, blushing in embarrassment. "Umm... I'm sorry for dragging you into my problem, Yamamoto-kun... the truth is... I'm a reincarnation of Aura... Mukuro-san is the reincarnation of the sorcerer. And Gokudera-kun is one of my guardians... Mukuro-san thinks that you might be my other guardian but... if you don't think you are, it's okay. I don't want to have you burdened by us..."

"So it is the legend of Aura." Yamamoto said quietly in thought, watching Tsuna with mysteriously calm eyes. The amber eyed boy blushed under the young man's gaze and let his eyes fall to the ground.

"I-I know it's hard to believe... I don't really believe it myself, a useless person like me a reincarnation of someone so powerful... and I'm a guy, too. Not a girl... which is even more suspicious... so it's okay if you don't believe us... because—"

"I'll protect you, Tsuna."

The words cut off the rest of the brunet's sentence. Tsuna's head shot up quickly and he stared at the tall man questioningly. Yamamoto sent the boy a reassuring smile. "My dad and the monks told me that there was a reason why I had to start traveling. I think this is why..." The dark haired swordsman grinned boyishly and lifted his arms up, crossing them comfortably behind his head, and he shifted his eyes towards the half-moon glowing in the deep indigo sky. "You see, the town I grew up in worships this legendary monk who traveled around the world, helping many other people without asking for any sort of reward in return. So a lot of monks come to visit our town to pay their respect. One of the monks who lived there for many years had a vision one night. He told our shrine that I would have to take the ancient sword passed down through generations upon generations of our family and travel the country. They didn't know why or for how long I would have to travel. So I have no idea what I should be doing or when I should go back home... I've just been walking down roads upon roads upon roads, aimlessly..." Yamamoto moved his eyes back down to Tsuna and he smiled gently while his eyes seemed to twinkle. "But now I finally think I know. I think I know what I have to do... I have to get rid of that curse for you, right?"

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked a few times in wonder, staring up at the gentle and kind young man standing beside him. He felt so at ease with Yamamoto. With Gokudera, he felt afraid sometimes, although he liked the silver haired pyro. And with Mukuro, he was entranced and sometimes, a little uncomfortable. But with Yamamoto, it was... simply calm... He blinked again. "How did you know that we would be getting rid of the curse...?"

Yamamoto chuckled loudly, "Ahaha! Tsuna, that legend is told all over the country. There's almost nobody who doesn't know about it. It's obvious that if Aura were reincarnated again, she would go and seek out the cure to her curse, right?" Tsuna blushed bright red, lowering his eyes down to the floor. Now he felt so stupid for not knowing anything about the legend... Yamamoto's smile faded a little as he continued. "After all... it would be horrible to live a life like that... not being able to touch your loved ones... I can't imagine it." The smile on the swordsman's face returned again in full. "Tsuna, I'll help you get rid of that curse. Whatever it takes, I'll get rid of it."

Tsuna gazed at Yamamoto speechlessly. And then his amber eyes glowed with a warmth that seemed to tickle the taller boy's skin. "Yamamoto..."

The dark haired swordsman grinned and then smirked teasingly at the boy. "And then when you're cured... I'll mess up and play with your hair all I want...!"

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna blushed and shouted in embarrassment. But he smiled happily, glad to have made a new friend and companion. Hearing Tsuna's shout, Gokudera turned on his heels and started stomping back to Tsuna's side, firing obscenities at the swordsman and causing a ruckus among the two in general.

Mukuro glanced over his shoulder, watching the trio behind him bantering together energetically. The blue haired sorcerer closed his eyes and turned his head back, treading forward and leading the front of the group by himself. His eyes opened again and he watched the road with expressionless red and blue eyes, feet seemingly floating across the ground. Silently, like a sad ghost's. Tsuna had found his two guardians. And now... he felt more alone than ever before.

.:.