Chapter 20: Paris, France

(A/N: They're speaking French. TC is cool and equipped them with two way translators...so almost this entire chapter they're speaking French...when they're alone in the hotel room they don't.)

"Welcome to Paris, boys."

"Whoa...This is France?"

They were all walking down the sidewalk. "Indeed it is, Tsunayoshi...you see that large tower over there?"

"Uh...yeah. Of course, I knew this was going to happen."

Ty and Hibari were looking around. "I can't believe it...we're actually in France!"

"How are those translators working?"

"Good...I can understand people...I hope they can understand us."

"They work both ways, don't worry...so, Tsunayoshi...Do you want to start jumping today?"

"The sooner, the better..."

"You're starting to sound like Tsu-senpai!"

Tsuna looked at him.

"Don't look at me like that, boy, or I'll smack it off your face."

He looked away. "So...are we starting today?"

"Yeah...But, later when there aren't as many people watching."

"Again, I figured..."

"Who wants to mess with some people, nee?"

"I can't believe you said that..." Tsuna said, looking at TC incredulously.

"What? Did he look too floored?"

"Totally...I thought he was going to hit you," Ty added.

"Herbivores..."

"It was funny!"

"You have issues..."

"Nuh uh, you guys just aren't down with the-HELL YES."

"What?" Tsuna looked around quickly. "What?"

"A strip club."

Tsuna turned around and started walking the other way. "I'm going to go jump off the tower now..."

"But-TSUNA! FRENCH BOOBIES."

Ty and Hibari followed him. "You guys are stupid..." TC ran after them. "But, if you are ready to jump...We're just going to scare a couple hundred people, and then amaze them. I wasn't ready to show you to the world yet...look at you, you're hideous."

"I'm not doing this to show myself to the people of the world, I'm doing it to train so at least I can save these people."

Well said, kid...Tsune was staring off blankly at a wall. Mel waved his hand in his face. "Hey, have you landed yet?"

"What?" He looked at him. "What were you saying?"

"Nothing important, just telling you how shitty my day was, but that's fine..."

"Sorry..."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"You're a horrible liar."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to not zone out when I was telling you about what happened to me."

"Sorry, Melly...I was just...listening to Tsuna."

"Oh. How has the kid been doing?"

"He's been training...so I don't really know."

"Ah."

"OKAY! ARE YOU READY TO JUMP?"

"I DON'T KNOW...WHAT ARE WE TESTING THIS TIME?"

"OH...YOUR REACTION TIME!" He grabbed Ty, who was standing behind them, and threw him over the edge.

"WHAT!"

"Have fun," TC said, and disappeared with Hibari.

Tsuna looked around frantically, then looked over the edge. "Nee..."

He jumped, and used jets to speed his fall so he could catch up with Ty, who was screaming like a little girl. Bystanders were watching in shock and awe. He grabbed onto Ty. As the ground approached, he used jets to slow their fall, and landed perfectly on his feet on the ground. He looked around at all the people clapping, or staring at him. "You okay, Ty?"

"Y-yeah..."

School girls his age were grouped together chattering, and giggling. Tsuna looked around for TC, and couldn't find him. "Hey, get onto my back so we can get out of here and find TC..."

"Sure..."

He flew off from the crowd of people to find his missing friends.

"You did a lot better the third time...And hey, I think your body finally managed to remain conscious."

"I'm so tired...I just need a shower..."

"Good thing, because you smell...but hey, whatever you do, don't touch my stuff."

"Why?"

"Don't fucking ask questions!"

Ty and Hibari were asleep. "Fine..."

He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower to let it get hot. "What is he talking about anyway?"

He undressed and stepped into the water. His body relaxed. The water ran over his head. He looked at the bottles of body washes and shampoos. He picked up a pink bottle. This must be TC's...weird...it's pink, but...okay. What's the worst that could happen if I used it anyway? He opened the bottle and poured a bit into his hand. He lathered it into his hair. Not so bad, right? It smells like bubble gum! But...it feels kind of tingly... He rinsed the shampoo out, and hair was flowing with the water. "What..."

He looked in the reflection of the glass door, then noticed, there were holes burning in the glass. "EH! WHAT!"

TC heard this, and face palmed. "Dumbass..."

Tsuna was freaking out. "What! What is this! What's going on!"

"Did you do what I told you NOT to do?" TC's voice called through the bathroom door.

"Uh..yeah, but I didn't think...It's you, I should have thought."

"That's right..and you have about..eh...a minute before your head bursts into flames."

"WHAT!"

TC was snickering behind the door. Ty was awakened by the noise. "What's going on?"

"Tsuna's being a dumbass..."

"IT BURNSSSSS!"

"SHUT THE FUCKING WATER OFF, IT WILL MAKE THE FIRE GROW!"

"BUT WON'T IT PUT IT OUT?"

"REVERSE EFFECTS!"

"AAAHHH!" The water turned off. "WHAT DO I DO!"

"I don't know, it doesn't do this to me."

"WELL WHY?"

"Because I'm not stupid...MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY TO BE SMART."

"ABOUT WHAT?"

"ANYTHING...WHAT'S SEVEN TIMES SIX?"

"Uhh...Forty-two?"

"Is it still burning..."

"Uh...No?"

"What's pi?"

"Tasty?...AH MY HEAD, IT BURNS!"

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Yes...I won't ever, ever touch your things EVER again, nor will I ever chew bubble gum again."

"Good. Anything that is mine, especially bubblegum. You touch it, I set you on fire."

"I promise I won't."

"Good..now put your ass to sleep, damnit..."

"Okay..." He laid in the bed next to Ty. "Hey, TC?"

"What?"

"I forgot..."

"You're an idiot..."

"Good night..."

(DAY 2 OF PARIS)

"What are we going to do today, TC?"

"I'm going to the strip club, you guys can just walk around I guess..."

"No training today?"

"Nope...I want some French tits."

"Okay then..."

"I'm leaving early, don't want to miss the eleven o' clock session."

He walked out the door. Tsuna looked at Ty and Hibari. "So...what are we going to do?"

"I don't know...Walk around and see other sights?"

"Sure...is that okay, Hibari-san?"

"I guess..." Hibari just shrugged.

"I'm sorry that he dragged you both into this..."

"Don't worry about it, Tsuna...other than the major trauma I'll probably face from being thrown off various structures, I'll live."

"Wow...it's such a nice day."

"You're right..." Hibari had his arms crossed as they walked. He had a sinking feeling something wasn't right. Tsuna looked at him.

"What's wrong, Hibari-san?"

"I don't know...something doesn't feel right."

"Could he be here?"

"I'm not sure..."

Ty remained close to them. "You're starting to freak me out..."

"It's possible that he was waiting for this...since we're alone."

They stopped and looked around. Out of the corner of his eye, Hibari saw movement toward them. He smacked the guy in the face with a tonfa. "Run! It was a trap!"

They started to run down the street. More men joined in on the chase, and besieged them. They stood back to back looking around at the men. Ty pulled a switchblade from his hoodie pocket. Hibari held his tonfas up. "Stay behind me at all times, Tsunayoshi..."

He tapped into his power quickly. "No, don't worry about me..."

"You're unarmed..."

"Trust me..."

One man lunged for him, and he quickly grabbed the guy and smashed him to the ground. Hibari and Ty watched. "Don't just watch me, pay attention around you!"

Hibari hit a guy with his tonfa, sending him flying. Ty dodged a guy, and drove his switchblade into his back, then pulled it out again. The rest of the men attacked at once, making it confusing. Tsuna crashed into a guy that was going for Ty, and they rolled on the ground until they stopped. Tsuna felt weakness fall over him. ~No...~

The guy he hit got up and grabbed him. "Not so tough now, eh?"

He clenched his teeth together and tasted blood on his tongue. Hibari was fighting five men at once. "Tsunayoshi!"

Ty looked around and found a dropped gun, and picked it up. He aimed at the guy's leg, and shot off. The guy tossed Tsuna away as he crashed to the ground in pain. Tsuna looked up weakly beyond the body of the guy and saw Ty holding the gun out. There were several men laying in the street when Hibari finished off his men and ran over. He knelt down to Tsuna. "Are you hurt?"

"Not bad..." He sat up slowly. Ty dropped the gun and ran over.

"Are you okay, Tsuna!"

"Yeah...I'm fine..."

Onlookers were staring at the three of them. Tsuna got up with Hibari's help. "There may be more...we should get you somewhere safer..."

"I'm fine..."

"THERE!" voices called out. Hibari looked down the street as more men were marching up.

He pulled Tsuna onto his back. "Let's go!"

They took off down the street.

KT had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She closed the book she was reading, then noticed the numerals on her arm were faintly glowing. "What the hell..."

Chrome walked into the room, looking at her arm. "I think he's in trouble..."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened. "WHERE'S THE TENTH!"

"Not here...I don't know where he is, actually..."

"What do you mean!"

"He's with TC somewhere in the world...he's off on a training mission..."

The other guardians walked into the house. KT looked around. "I guess we're going to help him, then?"

"He's in trouble..."

She sighed, then closed her eyes. An image floated into her mind. She noticed the Eiffel Tower in the distance. "France...Paris, France."

"Then we must go."

They all closed their eyes, and in a flash of light, they were gone.

Hibari was losing energy fast. Ty was falling behind. He ducked into and alley, and pulled Ty in. "Be quiet."

He nodded. The men ran past them. He sighed in relief, and took Tsuna off his back. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavy. "Watch him...I'm going out there..." He walked past Ty to the opening of the alley. "Got it?"

"Y-yeah..."

He ran out, and down the street. Ty looked at Tsuna. There were loud voices outside the alley. He placed himself in front of Tsuna to protect him. A guy flew past the opening, and onto the ground. KT stood at the opening. "There you are..."

She walked in quickly and up to Tsuna. "Where did you come from?"

"I'm a Guardian...we're able to transport to any location..." She put a hand on Tsuna's face, but kept her gaze averted outside the alleyway. His breathing eased, and he fell into a deeper sleep. She picked him up, and put him on her back. "We need to get out of here quickly."

"Is this it? Is this the end of the world?"

"No...they're just a bunch of thugs that were mind washed into doing this..." She looked up at a fire escape. "Can you climb?"

"Uh...Yeah."

"Good...we're going up..." She grabbed onto a ladder and started to climb. He followed her with no other options.

They reached the roof. Ty looked over to see all the other Guardians fighting the thugs. KT set Tsuna down again. He opened his eyes. "K...T?"

"Are you alright?"

"What are you doing here?"

"We came to help..."

"We?"

"The Guardians and I..."

He sat up. "I need to fight!"

"You can't..."

He stood up. "I can!"

"What are you going to do? You have nothing!"

"This is my fight..." He looked at her, the resolve blazing in his eyes. "Tsu-sama..."

~"Yeah, kid?"~

"I need you..."

He could hear the smirk in his other's voice. ~"No problem..."~

He closed his eyes, and a blinding light flashed.

The Guardians looked up, as did the thugs. The light receded. A dark figure leaped from the roof, and propelled quickly to the ground. Tsuna had switched his form with his other, and he stood in front of the group of Guardians. "You're messing with the wrong people..."

His cape was flowing in the wind. "Come at me..."

One man braved it. He was grabbed by the arm, and then slammed in the back. He froze solid, and fell to the ground. Tsune looked up. "Who's next?"

The others ran forward. He launched up as some went to the Guardians, and some went for him. He brought his foot down on one guy's head, and that guy went crashing into another. Hibari added another guy to his pile, and Gokudera did as well. KT jumped from the roof and landed on a guy's shoulder and twisted his neck. She jumped off as he fell. TC appeared on the roof behind Ty. "Not going quite as planned..."

Ty looked at him quickly. "TC!"

He was grabbed. "Maybe if I throw you into it..."

Ty's eyes widened. "What are you saying!" He looked down at the drop below him. "Don't do it! HELP!"

From within, Tsuna could hear Ty's cry. "Ty!"

Tsune looked up. He was dropped. He ran forward, and leaped for him before he hit the ground. A light flashed. Tsuna, who had returned, laid on the ground next to Ty. The men, and all the "bodies" had disappeared. The Guardians looked around confused. TC appeared before them, clapping slowly. "I applaud you on your performance. You see, it was all a training exercise."

"What?" Gokudera stepped forward, fist clenched. "They weren't real!"

"Not at all. But you all did great. Very entertaining."

Ty sat up. "Tsuna!" He rolled him over. He felt him shaking under his hands, but as his face appeared, he was laughing. "...Tsuna?"

His laughter got louder, and the Guardians looked over. He sat up, still laughing. Ty backed away. Tsuna got up and walked up to TC. TC noticed a changed look in his eyes and grabbed him. "What are you doing..."

"You're very funny, you know? You honestly believe that this training is going to help at all?"

KT shuddered, a very ominous feeling ran through her. "UNCLE!"

Tsuna laughed again, very sinister. "YES! Well, now, Brother...I have your apprentice under my control...What will you do?"

TC tightened his grip on Tsuna's shirt. "Damn you..."

Another round of laughter. "Helpless...helpless child...I could destroy him from the inside out...Like so."

Color returned to Tsuna's eyes. TC stared at him. He broke out into a fit of screaming, and TC set him on the ground. "STOP IT, BROTHER!"

Tsuna continued to scream. Mika and Chrome ran over. A trident materialized in Chrome's hand. "We can stop him..."

TC wouldn't speak. Mika and Chrome closed their eyes, and Chrome held the trident out. Indigo and a very dark blue light enveloped Tsuna's body. His screams grew louder, then disappeared completely. They dismissed the barrier around him. TC stared at him. Tsuna's breathing hitched, then he started to cough. He sat up, and took deep breaths. He felt a hand touch his back, and he flinched, then turned his head to look at TC. He breathed a few more times calmly, then jumped up quickly to hug him. He was shaking as he cried silently. TC was hesitant for a moment, then completed the circle. "You're fine, Tsunayoshi..."

He didn't receive a reply, just a set of sobs and shakes. "Tsunayoshi..."

He pulled him off and sat him in front of him. He kept his arms on his shoulders. "This is what you're training for...you got it? Give it everything you've got like you did today...I'm proud of you...Don't let me down."

Tsuna wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "You're...proud of me?"

"Immensely."

"I didn't even...do anything..."

"You did...you resolved to help them even when you were weak..."

He smiled slightly. "Can we go home?"

"..Yeah. I think that's best."

"Thanks, TC...I'll always do my best."

"That's all I'm asking for."