Camping
-x-
"You really should go camping sometime, Tsu-kun." His mother cooed.
At the moment, Tsuna wished he really hadn't. Where he was right now, things just weren't going according to plan. Of course, he should have expected in the first place. He should have considered how much of an uncoordinated group they were - when it wasn't about fighting techniques and tactics. Basically, everything was in flames.
"AGH! YOU STUPID LAWN-HEAD! LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Gokudera scolded.
"RAAAAAAAA! THE TENT'S ON FIRE!" Ryohei yelled in alarm, after realizing the blazing sparks (which took a minute or two).
Yamamoto ran to get water.
Hibari wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Reborn looked on with amusement.
Lambo was crying because the food was burning.
Tsuna sighed in defeat.
It was only an hour, it took only an hour - for everything to blow up in flames.
"Oi, Tsuna!" Reborn threw a rock at the brunette, watching as his pupil was shocked by the sudden impact and fell over. Until the brunette wearily stood on two feet, he scolded, "You're the boss. You should be able to handle this problem and regain order among your guardians."
Tsuna grimaced, glaring at his mentor for the past two years. Yes, he was allowed to glare at Reborn now. "I'd like to, myself."
"Then do something." Reborn threw another rock, smiling to see that his student easily dodged it. "You can't just stand there and look pretty."
Tsuna nodded and turned around, to find his guardians fussing, the fire now gone, the Tent in burnt ashes, the things in the tent (such as clothes, food, and all that good stuff) charcoal, and still no Hibari to be seen. He forced a trudge toward them, and once in earshot, raised his hands proclaiming, "Let's go home!"
…Way to solve it, Tsuna.
"HAH?" Ryohei quickly turned his attention to the brunette. "I EXTREMEMLY WANT TO STAY HERE!"
"And what good is that going to do us, huh?" Gokudera spat. "Thanks to you, all our supplies are burnt to the crisp and useless. We possibly can't survive out here."
Tsuna smiled.
"Yes, we can."
The smile quickly disappeared.
Yamamoto stepped forward. "We can stay out here. I was in boy scouts before and had to do a lot of camping. I know a thing or two about living in the wild."
"As so was I." Hibari fell out from the sky. Well, not really. He jumped out of a tree. (He was napping on a branch, of course. And he wasn't too happy with all the yelling.) "Boy scouts was the epoch of entry to manhood. Living out here is nothing. If you can't live out in the wild, then you're just a herbivore."
"Then it's settled." Reborn hopped on to Yamamoto's shoulder. "We stay out here."
'Well,' Tsuna thought grimly, 'It was only to be expected…'
-x-
Hibari was the one making orders now. He told Yamamoto to find a good place to camp. He forced Ryohei to find food. Hibari ignored Gokudera and Lambo. And Tsuna… was rather impressed, as to what authority and respect Hibari was given. He noted how well Hibari was when it came to commands and orders (Gokudera wasn't so happy about it though). Tsuna thought it was truly admirable.
"Herbivore." Hibari threw a stick at Tsuna, watching his victim drop the branches gathered in his hands. "What are you doing?"
"Huh?" Tsuna was already on his knees picking up the branches.
"He was staring at you, Hibari." Reborn appeared as a bush with red flowers. "I always suspected this day would happen."
Hibari raised a brow and Tsuna dropped the branches again to wave his hands in denial. "It's not like that, Reborn. You've got it all wrong." Tsuna reasoned.
"You were staring at him for the past five minutes. That's got to mean something." The tone was a matter-of-fact.
Now picking up the dropped branches for the second time. "I was just… impressed is all." Tsuna met with a shadow and peered upwards, to find a Hibari looming over him.
"What are you impressed with?" Hibari demanded, his eyes narrowing. He stepped back a little to allow space large enough for the brunette to stand up with the gathered branches in hand.
Tsuna tilted his head a bit, then answered, "You have a lot of authority, Hibari. That's… really commendable. And how you can order around people with such demand, though it's not good to do that in certain cases, you are able to handle people well…It would be good to have such authority, I think… to keep others safe."
Hibari stared at the herbivore, then took a glance at Reborn, who gave him a meaningless smile. He turned around, and orders were quick to follow.
"Bring the branches to the pile over there. We'll need a fire soon."
-x-
Tsuna walked out from the campsite to find Gokudera. He knew that his friend wasn't really in a good mood. After all, Gokudera had planned it all out for them to all have a good time. (It was sadly inevitable that the baseball idiot, lawn-head, and cow had to come along though, Gokudera had been saying ever since the plan started. He wasn't expecting a carnivore to tag along either. Apparently there was a crowding at the school, but he really couldn't do much about it.) And now, the plans were effortlessly crushed at the beginning. Tsuna figured he might as well cheer up the guy. He eventually found Gokudera near a mountain of rocks.
"Hey, Gokude-" Tsuna wasn't able to complete his greeting because a hand had instantly slammed against his mouth. He found that Gokudera had instantly jumped from his original spot to his side, with a frantic expression plastered on his face. "Please, be silent, Juudaime." Gokudera whispered as low as he could. He removed his hand and began wiping away some dirt he had accidentally smeared on Tsuna's face. "Sorry, Juudaime."
Once the hand withdrew, Tsuna replied quietly, "It's alright… So, what are you doing?"
"Hmm? Oh, over there. You see that little cave?" Gokudera pointed at the little crevice in the rock mountain. "There was some baby foxes in there trying to get out, and one of them got stuck under some rocks."
"Is it okay?" Tsuna asked quietly.
"It's still under the rocks." Gokudera now pulled away from Tsuna to stand in front of the little cave. "I'm still trying to get the little guy out." He bent down a little and stuck a hand inside the crevice, tilting his head for a better view.
Tsuna looked around and spotted the family of foxes, one mother and two kids hidden beneath the bushes... And the one in the crevice, which Gokudera was going after, must be apart of that family. He was about to step closer until he heard a, "Ah! Almost there."
And quickly after, Gokudera stood straight, turning around to reveal a little red fox in his hands. He held it gently and inspected it. "It doesn't look like it broke anything. No cuts…" Gokudera now turned toward the fox's family and squatted down, letting the little guy go. They both watched the fox sniff itself, checking out its own legs, then scamper off within the brush.
Gokudera swiped off his hands to get the dirt off. He then turned his absolute attention to Tsuna. "Sorry about that, Juudaime." He then smiled sheepishly. "I was passing by here to look for berries and saw the fox trying to slip out of there, just to let out a little whimper. His family tried to help him, but couldn't… I decided to help out…"
"There's no need to be sorry… that was very benevolent of you." Tsuna then took a glimpse at his hands. "That fox could have bitten you though."
"Thank you." Gokudera smiled at the praise from his Juudaime. "And even if it did bite me, I couldn't blame it for doing so. It was in a tight spot."
"…Perhaps you do come off as a little rash, but seeing this now, at heart, you truly care and people miss that... That's a very good characteristic, to care for others." Tsuna now smiled. "Thank you, also, for planning the camping trip for us, though… it didn't turn out well…"
"Yeah, if they hadn't tagged along, things would be going according to plan." Gokudera shrugged. "But I can't put it off anymore. I've got to get used to them being around. After all, since it's with you, the more the merrier I guess?"
Tsuna laughed. "Yeah." Here, Tsuna found kindness, as well as adjustment.
Even if you don't like it, it's still going to be there, and all you can do is accept it kindly.
-x-
Tsuna weaved through the trees. He really had to go. Yamamoto had told him the lake was this way (though the way didn't exactly have a path), and so far, Tsuna had yet to reach it. Perhaps he got lost. He could just do his business behind a tree… That actually sounded like a good idea.
[After a moment of critical business]
Tsuna sighed in relief. It wouldn't have been too pleasant if he soiled his pants, now would it?
"COME BACK HERE!" Ryohei's voice rang nearby unexpectedly. More of his yells echoed by, enough to capture Tsuna's attention. Tsuna decided to go ahead and see what Ryohei was up to. And being led by all the yelling, alas he found the lake. It was a pleasant little lake, very serene… and calm…
Ryohei quickly disrupted the peaceful scenery by appearing in view, rampaging about in the lake. "STOP GETTING AWAY!" The water around him was crashing about all over the place. Tsuna watched the man fly across one side of the lake, to soon zip through to the other side. The extremeness was obviously displayed. "Onii-san!" He called out, just to call out for a second time. And by the third, Ryohei paused in his frenzy, to somewhat sink down in the water. "Ah, Tsuna!" His gruff voice called back, along with a pointing finger. He made his way toward the shore and met up with Tsuna on the little beach.
"What are you doing, Onii-san?" Tsuna asked, noticing that Ryohei knees down was dripping wet.
"Catching fish for us to eat." He answered simply. "But the fish here are extremely fast. They keep slipping out of my fingers like worms! It's annoying, but I can't give up yet. The team is waiting back at camp. Can't let them down that easily."
"You're very persistent. As well as full of energy." Tsuna commented with a smile.
"Well, of course, I gotta be!" Ryohei grinned. "Everyone's counting on me for food. If I let everyone down, I'd be a failure. Being in high spirits is what keeps me going forward, as well as the support from others." He then pointed a fist at Tsuna. "Listen, Sawada. If you're not in high spirits, no one else is going to be too. How can we keep going without the energy?" Ryohei, for once, had a point and a reason for his extremeness, Tsuna realized. And it was true. How were they to keep moving forward without hopes high and the fuel to persist?
"Is that the reason why you are always hyped up?"
"Seventy Percent of the Time, Yes!"
"Seventy?"
"The thirty percent belongs to just having fun." His tone was blunt and his face was evidence of truth. "I'm always like this. If I'm not, there's something wrong with me; punch me if you have to. I need my spirit. And we should enjoy ourselves."
"Enjoy ourselves huh?"
"So that everyone else can have extremely fun too." Ryohei beamed. "One hundred and ten percent for everyone."
-x-
Yamamoto was trying to light up another fire, of course, in the appropriate place - the stack of branches. He grabbed one little branch and started grinding it against the other, hoping for it to make a spark. He slid it across the edge once, then again, and for another time, just to find no improvement. Then he thought he should probably try using some stones. Placing back the two crushed branches, he started searching through the short grass for rocks.
"Ah, Yamamoto." He looked up to find Tsuna holding a stack of more branches, walking toward him.
"Hey, Tsuna."
"Did you lose something?" Tsuna asked quietly, placing down the branches next to the already made pile. "I'll help you."
"Ah, don't worry. I didn't lose anything…" Yamamoto ran another hand across the grass. "I'm looking for a pair of rocks… to make a spark for the fire." His hand hit a little bump and he grabbed at it, to find he caught a cockroach. He then frowned to find that he crushed its shell and it was already splattered in his hand. "Ah, gross." He pulled out a tissue from his pocket and wiped the bug guts away.
"Oh, here's a pair of rocks." Tsuna crawled back to where Yamamoto was. He held up a pair of smooth rocks. "Are these good?"
Yamamoto smiled, wiping away the last of the guts and sticking the tissue into his back pocket. "Those are great." He was given the rocks and he started striking them together.
Click, Crick, cliclicliclikikikik.
Yamamoto sighed. "Hmm… something's wrong here…"
"May I try?" Tsuna held out a hand for the rocks.
"Go for it."
Once the two rocks were in his hands, he struck the rocks together hard, only to find one of them fly away backwards. He looked at Yamamoto, who chuckled saying, "That's amazing, Tsuna. You struck it forward, but it flew backward. That's the impossible."
Tsuna wasn't too sure if he should take that as a compliment. "… I'll go find that rock."
"No, it's fine." Yamamoto waved a hand for him to just stay where he was. "I'll use the sticks." He grabbed another pair of sticks that looked good for sparking a fire and started his swift grinding again.
"So, you learned this from boy-scouts right?"
"Yup." Yamamoto smiled. "Though it was such a long time ago… What was I? … Six or seven? Yeah." He then stuck out a tongue, biting down gently on it. "Making a fire was one of the first things we learned… bit I'm having a bit of trouble." He then stopped, taking a look at Tsuna. "Truthfully, this was the only thing I failed at during boy scouts. I couldn't light a fire."
"Really?"
He resumed his grinding. "Yeah, and I don't know why. It was funny though, since I was doing everything right." He stopped to blow on it, but no sparks were seen. "I had a friend who told me I'd fail at being an arsonist, if I'd ever become one. Haha."
Tsuna raised a lip and stared at the pile of branches. "But even though you knew you couldn't light a fire, you still remembered it anyway?"
"Well, yeah." Yamamoto paused to blow on his hot hands for a little bit to cool them down from the intense friction. "I've always remembered because I want to be able to light a fire one day with my own hands. It's not exactly the biggest goal in my life, but it's one that I'd surely like to accomplish, you know?"
Tsuna sat down Indian-style, leaning forward a bit to blow on the not yet fire. "Probably you can't make one… because you're of the rain attribute."
Yamamoto paused, then progressively came to nod. "Yeah, that makes sense, now that I realize it…." Then after a moment, he started grinding away again, faster this time. "…But that shouldn't stop me, right?"
Tsuna nodded, then blinked, wondering if his eyes deceived him for that moment. He then saw another flicker and slowly started to blow on it. "Keep going, Yamamoto."
His speed increased until it seemed like his hands were a blur. There was a little stray of smoke flying away and the red sparks started to spread within the branches. Soon, the two boys were blowing gently but furiously at the growing sparks. Then a burst of brilliant red erupted on the stack of branches.
"Whoa!" Yamamoto laughed. "We did it!"
Tsuna smiled, stepping back a little from the flying sparks. "You lit a fire, Yamamoto."
"Yeah, yeah." Yamamoto gave him a thumbs up. "We did." His expression was very elated, him staring at the flickering flame.
"All that determination paid off, huh?" Tsuna said, holding out a hand toward Yamamoto.
Yamamoto nodded and accepted the hand, finding himself being hauled up by a strong pull. "Yep. I always knew I could do it, even if they did say I couldn't." He laughed a bit, rubbing his arms. "And now we wouldn't have to be cold tonight."
Reborn watched the two from above on a branch. A smile crept across his face.
-x-
Now all of them were gathered around the fire, eating away the last few bites of the Trout caught by Ryohei's hands. They enjoyed the simple meal, not quite satisfying but enough. Though some awkward moments of silence would befall upon them every now and then. At least now, none of them were too hungry. But surely, they were tired. Even Hibari had to let out a yawn and escape the group for some alone time.
They had spent the rest of their afternoon building a shelter for themselves, as well as something of the likes of insulation around their little fort. Overhead was a thin cover of large leaves, around them they were surrounded by trees which helped a little in safety and warmth, and they made little beds for themselves using brush and little soft leaves. It was good, though they wouldn't have minded having sleeping bags and actual food. The only one who received the left over sleeping bag which was still usable was Lambo.
It was after all of them were comfy around the fire in their little beds that they heard rustling and squirms, obviously coming from the sleeping bag alone.
"Stupid cow, go to sleep already." Gokudera muttered through gritted teeth.
Lambo sat up, his frown covered by darkness. He then looked around and couldn't really see anything. "It's…"
"You have the sleeping bag. You've got the light." Gokudera rolled to his back. "What else can you complain about?"
Lambo, who was now a seven year old, still couldn't get over the fact that he still had his fears. He wasn't as loud and obnoxious, but he still was the same old Lambo - just a little older now. He could do a lot for himself and didn't complain as badly as he used to. But he still was a little kid. And right now, he wished Fuuta was with him (but sadly, Fuuta couldn't come to join them.)
Tsuna rolled over to his right to face the tired sitting figure of Lambo. "Are you alright, Lambo?"
"I'm fine." He simply replied softly, rubbing his eyes of weariness.
Tsuna then rose his brows, noting the expression on Lambo's face. Compared to the rest, Lambo was still the obvious kid of the group and perhaps always will be. There, he realized… and sat up in his bed. "Hey, Lambo."
Lambo turned his head toward him. "Hmm?"
"Would you like to sleep next to me?"
Lambo stared at him for a little while, then nodded slowly.
Gokudera slowly sat up in his bed. "Hah? You're seven years old already and you -" He quickly silenced himself when Tsuna raised a hand toward him, signaling for him to stop.
Lambo had paused in his move when Gokudera interrupted. Tsuna shook his head and said, "Come here. It's fine." Lambo got out of the sleeping bag and walked over to Tsuna's side, spreading out the sleeping bag and snuggling in.
Tsuna laid down again once Lambo began to settle down and said, "Is this better for you?"
Lambo nodded, snuggling himself deeper into the sleeping bag. "It's… cold."
Tsuna smiled, seeing that his companion was already drifting away. "Yes, it's cold out here. Keep yourself warm in there."
Lambo's still a kid. He will be like any other boy out there growing up and having fears. They couldn't already expect him to put up and keep up with them that easily. And he's still got a life to live. Looking through his eyes, it must be a little tough to have to deal with an older age group.
'For now,' Tsuna thought, '… we should do what we can for him until he doesn't like it anymore.'
-x-
The Next Day…
Since they were in the cold, all of them did receive colds except Lambo. They were already at home, snuggling warm in their beds and trying to get better and fighting with running noses. Well, most of them. One was being pestered and scolded by a certain tutor.
Reborn couldn't waste such valuable time like this. After a day of no lectures, it surely was the best time for a lesson. And he could care less about all the piles of tissues piling beside his student, and the nose of his student running a never ending marathon. Through thick and thin, his student must withstand it all.
"POP QUIZ?" Tsuna yelled, holding up a paper toward Reborn. "You're kidding me? Since when did you start doing Pop quizzes? And I didn't even study for whatever this test is for!"
"Yes, you did." Reborn smacked away Tsuna's hand. "You've studied. You should know the answers."
"When did I study for this?" Tsuna pointed at the single paper exam, using his other hand to wipe away snot. "I don't ever remember studying for an unknown quiz," he said nasally.
"Yesterday." Reborn simply answered. "You studied yesterday."
"During camping?" Tsuna he blew in a tissue and wadded up into a ball, throwing it toward his trash bin, missing greatly. "I didn't study."
"But you learned and picked up some valuable knowledge from your Guardians yes?"
Tsuna paused as he was about to reach for another tissue. He withdrew his hand and linked it with the other in his lap. He started fiddling with his fingers, deeply watching in thought.
Hibari's control and authority by the respect (or fear) of people.
Gokudera's thoughtfulness and acceptance of his surroundings.
Ryohei's care and energy for the sake of others and their feelings.
Yamamoto's determination and belief in himself.
And Lambo, who showed that perception and looking through the eyes of others' is a major key…
Tsuna could only smile. "…Probably… I did learn something yesterday, huh?"
"Your Guardians all have traits that a Mafia boss would need right?"
"I'm not surprised. Even Lambo…" Tsuna frowned. "I don't think I showed any traits."
"You don't have any traits." This struck a dagger through his heart, a very painful blow to the ego. "But if there is one thing to say, you know how to keep a family together." And this somehow was the bandage and antibiotic gel to the striking wound.
Tsuna sat back in his chair, a sigh escaping his lips. Then a thought hit him.
"What do you think Mukuro would teach me?"
Reborn looked at him, then averted his eyes. "Even I don't know that. But you could ask him."
"Ah…" Tsuna swiped a tissue and blew his nose loudly. "I think I'll pass for that lesson…"
-x-
Nothing deep here. Just some awesome Guardians and Tutor time… Family time!
- DoJo
