Kitsune here with the next chapter of "Dark Skies". Sorry for the wait! I'm not thrilled with chap six is, so there may be a slightly longer wait for 5 and six, but the chapters are basically done (7 is started), so here you go. I hope you enjoy, feel free to review, or not...I DO know where we are going with this. Oh, at work I did a headcount, and there's something like twenty-five active (as in they speak at least once) characters in this story by chapter six, but I forgot about Sunshine and Lanie, so, make that twenty-seven. That's A LOT. So, if I got anyone's name wrong, or if someone seems a little off at any point, let me know and I'll go back and fix it.
Question of the chapter: "Do you check other people's favorites to find stories to read?" I raid fave lists of writers I like all the time! If I like your stories, I kinda figure I'll like what you read. Generally I'm right, too.
Tsuna moaned as he burrowed deeper into the covers. He could feel the overly cool blast of the AC as his body tried to convince him it really was time to get up and tend to some important needs. Idly he wondered who had cranked it up. Summer had just started, and even though his mother was a fan of a cool house, she wasn't one for a cold house...
As he tried to roll over he bumbled into a warm body and blearily opened his eyes only to find himself staring Yamamoto's head. What is Yamamoto doing on my bed...? Not that it really was too unusual to find one of his friends crashed on his bed. In fact, after a particularly difficult training session or battle they'd all tend to gather at his house and crash... It all came back to him in a rush as he sat up, sending Lambo tumbling to the foot of the over-sized bed he found himself sandwiched between Gokudera and Yamamoto, with Ryohei snoring loudly half off the end of the bed. Tsuna had no distinct memories about what had happened after coming back to "Sanctuary" with those strange people and Reborn.
"That's right...I remember that Reborn suggested we all get some rest and get out of the way before the bar opened. I must have been more worn out then I thought, I hope Kyoko and Haru are alright." Slowly the teen wiggled his way out of the blankets and stood, looking around the room. It was a decent sized room, with the bed taking up most of it, though there was a large TV mounted on a wall, a table and a couch. He spotted two doors as well, and assumed one lead out, while the other probably lead to a bathroom. Stepping over Ryohei he went up to one of the doors, noticing a sign on it.
'Disturb and I bite you to death.'
"Well, I guess I know where Hibari is..." Tuna sweat-dropped as he also realized that this bathroom was now out of the question. He'd have to go find somewhere else. Cautiously he looked back at his friends, debating waking them and at least letting them know where he was going, but in the end he decided to let the sleep. After all, Reborn knew these people, and Tsuna trusted the Acraborano with every fiber of his being. Besides, Gokudera was here, if Tsuna so much had stubbed his toe loudly, he was sure his over-eager guardian would be there with a stick of dynamite before he'd even woken up.
With a sigh, he once more crossed the room and tugged on the doorknob of the other door. It stuck for a second, but then opened, giving him a slight static shock in the process. The tenth vongola boss found himself in a hall of what appeared to be an older building, full of a feeling of guarded warmth that he shrugged off. He could understand being a little nervous if a bunch of strange people showed up and were crashing in a room of his house, even if he did invite them in. Cautiously he moves down the hall, heading towards the sounds of voices. The teen remembered that the bar Sanctuary was attached to the house on the side through the kitchen, so he figured if he followed the sounds, he'd eventually either find someone to point him in the right direction, or find the stairs to the kitchen. The set up made sense since it seemed most of the staff lived in the building and were related. In fact, four of them looked identical! Tsuna wondered if this extended family living was common in America, or if this family was a kind of Mafia as well.
Suddenly there was the sound of a little girl screaming down the hall. Tsuna took off running towards the sound in an attempt to help the child only to come skidding to a stop as a large dog came tumbling into the hall from the room the scream had come from. He froze on the spot and stared. His chocolate eyes widened in shock as he realized he was looking at a good sized bear cub, not a large dog. The cub shook itself off and returned his stare before raising up onto its back legs and gaaaa-ingat him. Tsuna would have thought it was kind of cute, except for the fact that is was a friggin bear that had just come out of a room full of screams. Cautiously he stepped back.
"N-nice bear..." He was so glad he didn't trip like usual as the creature dropped onto all fours and stomped the ground, grunting and then started to paw the ground, like it was going to charge. Tsuna really was wishing he was anywhere else but right there... "really nice bear..." he gulped.
"KAYLE! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" A woman shouted from behind the youth causing him to jump. The blond smiled at him apologetically before frowning at the bear cub, "Get back into your room! When I tell your dad you are so busted, little miss!" Much to his surprise, the cub huffed and skulked back into the room. Sighing the tall woman turned back to Tsuna, "Sorry bout that, Cher, she didn't mean any harm."
Well, his hyper intuition told him that, but still, bears could be dangerous even when just playing. "Was that a bear cub?"
Tsuna noticed the woman's guarded look, "Yes."
"Oh. And she understood you. Like, really knew what you were saying, right?"
The woman frowned, but before she could answer a child popped her head out of the room the bear had gone into, "I'm sorry, Aunt Aimee. Please don't tell papa, I won't do it again!" Aimee glared at the child, who properly cowed, ducked back in.
"That girl was the bear cub. Am I going crazy?" Tsuna said in a daze, looking at the tall blue eyed woman in front of him that was eyeing him very warily. He vaguely recognized her from the day before as the woman who had fed him.
"..."
"And your her Aunt...oh." He gulped, "Are you going to eat me?"
"Wh... EW, God no. Why would you even think that?"
"Well, the last guy I fought with that could turn into animals threatened to eat me at one point. Though, he only takes on animal attributes, he doesn't turn into a bear...Actually, I don't think he had a bear mode, he's got gorilla, lion, cheetah...I don't remember bear. Do you use channels, too?" Tsuna eyed the woman, "Ah, but you turn all the way into a bear, right? Ken can't do that, he just takes on their attributes, I think."
"You're taking this better then I was expecting. To answer your question, I'm an Arkadian. The short version is I'm a human with the 'heart of an animal'. We're what the stories of Werewolves and the like are based off of. It's not something you can become, you have to be born an Arkadian or a Katagaria, which is an animal with 'the heart of a human'. It's more complicated then that, so you should probably have Ash or one of us explain it fully to your whole group later."
"Really? That's really amazing!" Tsuna laughed, "People turning into animals is right up there with time travel and talking to the dead, which seems to happen a lot to me, so I can't say I'm too surprised." He grinned, rubbing the back of his head, "Well, at least, ever since Reborn became my tutor, that is. I forgot to introduce myself yesterday. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna."
The woman smiled, holding out a hand, "Aimee Kattalakis. Nice to meet you, Tsuna, and though it's a little late, welcome to Sanctuary. I run this place with the help of my mate Fang and my brothers. Now, what are you doing up so early? We were expecting you boys to sleep for a few more hours at least."
"Oh, well...I er...had to use the restroom, but Hibari-san is sleeping in there, and I don't want to bother him. It really wouldn't be good for my health. He's not a guy you want to wake up, trust me. Then I thought as long as I was up I'd look for the girls and see how they were doing."
"In that case, follow me. You can use the kitchen bathroom. The girls are actually helping us out by cooking. They're very good at it." She noticed his look, "Bianchi is supervising, of course."
Tsuna felt compelled to stand up for his friend, "Her cooking isn't that bad...it's just...rough if you're not used to it."
Aimee paused at the top of the stairs, "You've eaten it?"
"Well, a few times." He shrugged up at her, "It's no big deal, and it would have hurt her feelings if I didn't. Though sometimes I think she does it on purpose, and she never uses her full skills on us. Did you know I once saw her melt a doorknob with her cooking? She can be really scary when she's angry, too. Anyway, what are the girls helping you make?"
"Food for an army!" Aimee laughed, "Or at least, food for a pack of wolves, a family of bears, a few other weres, and a couple other members of our odd little family who all decided to drop in this morning." She nodded to the bathroom, "Why don't you wash up, and we'll put you to work, too?"
"Right!" Before long, Tsuna found himself flipping pancakes under the supervision of Haru as plate after plate left the kitchen. He wasn't very good at it, much to the amusement of Chrome, who had apparently thought that her boss could do anything, despite all evidence to the contrary. Still, the normally timid teen found he was actually having fun helping with breakfast. It felt good to honestly try something without the guys constantly encouraging him for a change. Not that he didn't really appreciate Gokudera's (completely unrealistic) faith in him, Ryohei's (exhausting) enthusiasm, or Yamamoto's (illogical) advice! It was just sometimes he liked to try things at his own pace, and the girls understood that for the most part. Though they did tease him about his very lumpy batter, giggling to each other as they finally chased him out of the kitchen.
The teen smiled back at the girls as he took his leave, happy to see that they were taking everything in stride once more. Really, he regretted them getting mixed up in everything all the time, but he was slowly coming to realize that if he went out his way to leave them out of things, somehow the three girls would find a way to be involved. Chrome's relationship with Haru and Kyoko was something of a blessing to him, the two girls going out of their way to include the timid mist guardian in everyday things had obviously instilled a new sense of confidence in her. Tsuna managed to snag a plate for himself, and following the directions of one of the look-alike people he kept getting mixed up, headed out to the bar proper. Apparently the place was still not open quite yet.
As he came out from the kitchen, Tsuna found his way blocked by an intimidating man he didn't recognize. The man was easily over six feet tall as he glared down his long nose at the boy. Tsuna gulped and broke eye contact, the piercing blue eyes reminding him of a bird of prey. "Who the hell are you, kid?"
"T...Tusna Sawada, sir." He shifted his plate and risked another glance at the man. He felt that this man was dangerous, but more because he was surprised by Tsuna's appearance, so he attempted to explain, "I, well. My friends and I were kind of sent here by Ares. Ah... Not here here. New Orleans here. Ash-san and Reborn are friends I think, so Aimee-san is letting us stay until we work out what's going on."
"Uhhuh." The man seemed to mull it over, running a hand through his blond hair, "Well, if it's alright with Aimee and Fang..." The man shrugged and offered Tsuna a smile, moving out of the way, "Jasyn. I work here most nights, but I had some...business to attend to last night so it looks like I missed all the action. I'd offer to shake your hand, but your's are a bit full at the moment. Why not grab a seat and I'll get you a drink though?"
"Ah! Thank you, Jasyn-san." Tsuna walked around the bar and hopped up on one of the stools, taking the offered beverage gratefully. Sanctuary was already getting a little bit too warm for his taste, and the air conditioner was not on yet.
As he ate he let his eyes drift around the room which was mostly empty. One of the men he had met yesterday was there, he thought his name was 'Vane'. Sitting with him was an attractive woman and a toddler who was happily tossing his food at the two. Tsuna guessed it was his wife and kid. A few tables away a man with short blond hair sat with an attractive woman leaning against him as a small monkey combed through her hair. He saw the man share a look with Jasyn, kind of like Hibari would, one that said a lot but without a word. A few other people came and went while he sat there watching. Twice he felt like he was being watched and when he looked for the person, found that one of the identical people were eyeing him cautiously. He even caught Vane warily glancing at him once and sighed.
"Something wrong, Tsuna?" Jasyn asked, leaning on the bar across from him.
"Eh? No! No, not at all!" He smiled a little cautiously, "Just feeling a little bit like I'm at a zoo."
Jasyn's eyes got hard,"You got a problem with Katagaria?"
"NO! NO! Not like that!" Tsuna waved his hands, "I still not even sure what that is! I mean that," he pointed without looking to where he could feel someone staring at him before he turned and looked. It was Fang, giving him the same look everyone else had, "See? At least when I have to go to things for gramps people come up to me..." He sighed.
Jasyn laughed, waving over Fang, "I see what you mean, kid. So, don't know what a Katagaria is? Arcadian?"
The mop of brown hair in front of him shook back and forth emphatically "Aimee explained some of it, something about 'human hearts' and 'animal hearts', but she told me to have somebody explain it to everyone later so there isn't any confusion. All I understood is that you can turn into animals, I think."
"Hmmm I see. How about, Appolite, Were-hunter, Dark-hunter, Daimon?" Each time the boy in front of him shook his head. "Hey, Fang." Mind telling me what's going on?
"Jasyn," Fang nodded, "Tsuna, right?" You mean other then us getting a bus full of kids from Japan sent to us from Ares? Not too much.
"Yes, sir."
Jasyn passed Fang a beer, opening one for himself as he came around the bar. You guys just let them crash here on Ash's ok? Fang, this kid doesn't know anything about our world.
"Aimee says I have you to thank for my lumpy pancakes this morning." Fang teased while Tsuna ducked his head sheepishly stuttering apologies, "Don't worry about it, my cooking is a lot worse. At least these looked like pancakes. Speaking of, those girls with you alright in the kitchen alone like that?" Yeah, I noticed that. Tsuna said something about Vongola Familia yesterday. Ash mentioned the Vongola, too, whatever that is.
"Eh? Oh, Kyoko and Haru always scold me when I tell them they don't have to do anything. It's their way of helping everyone out. Chrome...well, if it get's too much for her, I'm sure they'll make her sit down. Really, they like feeling helpful, and Reborn keeps encouraging them."
"Yeah...about that. What exactly is Reborn's relation with Ash?" Fang grabbed a stool and sat, staring at Tsuna. He was determined to get to the bottom of things, and Ash had been anything but forthcoming. The petite teen in front of him looked like a good source of information. Everything about the kid screamed "prey" to his wolf, though he'd faced the boy in a fight and knew him to be anything but weak.
"I get the feeling Ash-san knows Reborn through work. Reborn just seems to know everyone, though." Tsuna laughed, "I just try not to be surprised, it's kind of hard when someone recognizes him as some crazy math genius or something."
"Who's Reborn?" Jasyn asked.
"Little baby who's able to speak just fine, wears a suit and a fedora, has a weird ass lizard. Apparently he's known Ash for a long time, and he's got 'a woman'. Real hot one with burgundy hair." He held up a hand, "No, I don't know how that relationship works, and I don't want to know." Both men looked at Tsuna.
"That's Bianchi. She's Gokudera's older sister. Ah, Gokudera is the one with silver hair."
"The loudmouth one with the dynamite? Looks like a punk?"
"Dynamite?" Seriously, Fang? What the hell did I miss?
"Eh, long story, I'll tell you later."
Tsuna sweat dropped. "He is a bit of a punk, I guess. He's a great friend, though, and really smart. Sorry about the dynamite."
Fang asked, "How did someone like you get mixed up with someone like that? No offence, but you guys seem like total opposites. I mean, it's quite a mixed bag I got dropped on my porch."
"Ah." Tsuna's brown eyes darted around as he obviously debated what to say. "Reborn. Well. I guess he was the start of it, when he became my...tutor. He put me through all sorts of things. Then because Reborn was there, Gokudera showed up to 'test' me, and Bianchi came because she missed Reborn and just never left. Lambo..."
"LAMBO-SAN want's to play! Loser-Tsuna, play with us!" A little boy wearing cow-print footie pj's and horns sticking out of his afro came running at them from around the counter.
Coming up behind him was another child with a chinese outfit, "Lambo, I-pin is going to win!" she shouted as she raced after the boy at full speed.
"WAHAHAHA, You can't catch me!"
"Ah! Lambo, I-pin, be careful! If you don't watch out you're going to..." Tsuna began just as Lambo tripped over a slightly higher board and hit his head on a barstool. "...hurt yourself." The teen sighed, sliding off the seat, "Are you alright, Lambo?"
"Ga...ma...n..." The boy sniffled as the little girl attempted to comfort him. Her actions only caused the Lambo to start crying, attracting the attention of both couples who were still in the bar. The woman sitting with Vane looked slightly worried and stood, obviously ready to offer her assistance. "WAAAAA! Lambo can't! It hurts!" The boy reached into his hair and pulled out the ten year bazooka out and pointed it at himself.
"NO! LAMBO!" The little girl shouted as she attempted to take the weapon away. Tsuna took a dive for the bazooka as well, desperate to prevent Lambo from pulling the string attached to the trigger. He was just a split second too late, however, and the thing went off with a BOOM! Filling the bar area with smoke.