Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Katekyoshi Hitman Reborn! I just wish I did.
Beta: the lovely Midnight-Kitsune11.
Pairing: At this time there is NO pairing for this fic!
Recap:
Tsuna's Sky:
Storm = Sasuke + Kurama
Rain = Zabuza
Mist = Iruka
Kabuto's Sky:
Lightning: Orochimaru
Chapter 17: Distressing news
Tsuna spend what felt like (and probably were) hours leafing through the papers Haku had brought him. It was mostly legal talk. Both Haku and Iruka-nii had already combed through them, filling them in where necessary. He knew he could trust them, but Reborn-learned habits were hard to unlearn.
After much begging the nurses had released his arms, so while he still couldn't move much, he could at least use his hands.
There was a knock on his door, before Shikamaru entered. "I heard you were still stuck in here."
Tsuna shot him a wry smile. "I'll be here for a while yet, I'm afraid."
Shikamaru frowned at him. "You got hurt that badly?"
Tsuna grimaced. "Something like that. They are waiting for an expert to get here."
And he had faith that Jiraiya would get his old team-mate to come back. He could only hope that Kabuto having sent Orochimaru after her as well, wouldn't create a giant mess.
…
He could hope, right?
"Damn. This is so messed up." Shikamaru sighed as he sat down next to the bed. "On the other hand, it might be for the better. Not that you are hurt, but that you stay… unnoticed. Half the village is in a panic after your battle; it's not pretty." He grimaced, but handed Tsuna a box.
Tsuna gathered his papers as best as he could, but Shikamaru ended up helping him put them to the side. It was a box with snacks.
"Thanks." He smiled in thanks. "Is it really that bad? With the villagers, I mean?"
"A bunch of them have been camping out in the Hokage tower, trying to get my dad to suspend you." Shikamaru grimaced. "He won't, and people are idiots, but scared idiots can lash out. So…"
Tsuna grimaced as well. He hadn't thought about how the villagers would react to him summoning Kurama. He should have. But he hadn't. their reaction both seemed tame and an overreaction at the same time. But maybe that was because Tsuna had actually talked to Kurama. He was flame bonding with him as well. So the Biju didn't seem that bad, to him.
He hadn't actually lived through the destruction Kurama had caused though…
So…
And to be honest, he was still waiting for his family to explode on him. Sure, they had accepted Kurama without much fuss (to his surprise), but he was still waiting for at least a scolding. He hadn't told them he'd even been in touch with the Biju, let alone that he could summon him.
They sat in silence for a while.
"So, you set yourself on fire huh?" Shikamaru smirked at him.
Tsuna flushed.
"You sure managed to surprise a lot of people."
"Yeah, that's what I was going for - shock factor." Tsuna replied dryly.
Shikamaru snickered. "You definitely succeeded there."
"You." Came an angry voice from the doorway.
Both turned towards it, and Tsuna gulped.
Gaara.
Gaara had come to visit him.
At a moment where Tsuna was stuck to his bed, unable to move. He didn't think the other would attack him but… he certainly didn't look happy. Why was he here?
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at their visitor.
"Me?" Tsuna asked unsure after a few moments of silence.
"You. How did you-?" Gaara interrupted himself. He seemed frustrated with himself.
Tsuna frowned, feeling some of his anxiety leave him. "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes. I want to… Talk. Alone." The redhead nodded. He shot Shikamaru a look.
The Nara frowned and turned towards Tsuna. "I'm not sure me leaving is a good idea."
Gaara's frown grew more prominent. "I am not… I won't hurt him."
Tsuna eyed both of them, took a deep breath, and nodded at Shikamaru. "It'll be fine. I'll see you later?"
He wasn't sure he did the right thing, but if Gaara wanted to talk, he had an idea what it would be about, and that talk was best kept private.
"If you are sure. I still need to find Sasuke anyway. My dad will come here just after lunch. He wants to talk to both of you. Just the two of you."
Tsuna bit his lip nervously. "Really? Just me and Sasuke? Any idea what it'll be about?"
"Nope." Shikamaru shrugged as he got back up. "He's barely been made Hokage, and he is already bossier than ever before. I'll be sure to stop by later on. Maybe I'll bring Choji as well."
"Sure, I love some company." Tsuna smiled happily.
Shikamaru nodded at him, shot Gaara a last suspicious look and left the room. Gaara glared after him.
Both jinjuuriki were silent as Gaara sat down in the chair Shikamaru had just left.
Tsuna cleared his throat. "So…"
"You are the same as me," Gaara said, his glare easing down to a frown again, "and yet, people aren't scared of you."
"Well." Tsuna looked away uneasily. "No. I can't say they were ever afraid of me. They hated me, disliked me, shunned me, but scared? No, they weren't scared. Until now, at least. I am not sure about you, but until recently, I didn't even know I had a demon sealed inside me."
"You didn't know?" The redhead looked at him in suspicion. "No burst of murderous chakra, no incidents where people got hurt without you realising what was happening? No voices in your head telling you what to do?"
"No. Sorry." Tsuna felt the need to apologize.
"I don't understand. You are the same as me! Yet, how are we so different? Why? How? How did you do it? Why do they stay with you? When all the people around me tried to do was murder me?!" He whispered furiously.
Gaara's tone sent shivers down his spine. Part of Tsuna would prefer the other to yell at him, to be a loud kind of anger. It would be less terrifying.
He'd gotten used to loud, angry people. This kind of anger reminded him vividly of Mukuro and Hibari-san.
Not a good sign.
"I am not sure. Maybe the way our Biju were locked up is different. Kyuubi is locked up tight, and I understand he's been sleeping for years." He shrugged.
Kurama had given him a gift, by revealing his name. and Tsuna had understood that was not a secret that was his to share, so he wouldn't mention that name, unless Kurama gave the okay.
"I did find some friends. People who chose to become my family. It helped against the loneliness." Tsuna said instead. "Do you have any family?"
Gaara snorted. "I have a brother and a sister, both older than me. They are terrified of even being in the same room as me."
"Family doesn't have to be blood. Family can be chosen. I don't have any blood family left, except for a cousin I just recently discovered I had." Tsuna said thinking of Karin. "My flames helped me create a bond closer than ordinary friends could have. You could do the same, if you wanted to."
"Your flames? Is that what you call your power?" Gaara frowned again. "How would that help me? It's your power."
"Actually, anyone can have them. You do. You've already been using them. I can teach you, if you want."
"I have what?" Gaara blinked at him in confusion.
"Your flames? Until now, I've noticed you use Cloud flames. Mostly to multiply your sand. Did you do that unconsciously or...?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You use them as soon as your sand comes out. Is that something you do or does your Biju control the sand?"
"Both, I can control the sand, but… Part of it, the defence mostly, is automatic. It's just sand; there are no flames there."
"Yes, there are. I noticed the Cloud flames during our first fight in the forest. You have them, but whether they are yours or you Biju's is the question."
Gaara frowned at him.
"Well, clearly you had no idea, so either you did it unconsciously or your Biju did it for you. Shikaku, right? Kyuubi recognized his flames while we fought. Either way, you've grown so used to only using those Cloud flames, that you have no idea about your own, or if they even are your own. They are buried so deep inside you, that even during our fight, I never had a clue."
"What?"
"May I?" Tsuna held out his hand. Gaara eyed it warily, as if it was going to bite him.
But in the end, he reached out with his own hand. Only when they touched, Tsuna send his Flames out. He let them dig deeper, beyond the overwhelmingly wild flames from Gaara's Biju, digging deeper until he caught a sniff of Gaara's own flame.
His eyes widened. He had not expected this.
Sky flames.
Buried under mountains of Cloud Flames, were Sky flames.
Bright Sky flames, nearly suffocating under the other flames. Tsuna's own flames curled around them, and only now did he notice how the sky flames were intertwined with a portion of the cloud flames.
A Cloudy Sky. Gaara had Sky flames, with strong secondary Cloud flames.
Part of him was disappointed. Part of him had hoped he might have a Cloud for his own harmony, but Skies couldn't share guardian bonds. So, Gaara couldn't be his Cloud.
That didn't take away that they couldn't share a different bond.
Sky bonds could be tricky. Having multiple Skies in one room, could easily lead to disaster. Most Skies were very territorial, and having other Skies around upset them. (Prime example: Xanxus. Although, he was always… prickly.)
He had heard of huge fights, controlling Skies (like Nono) and tons of other problems. Hell, even Byakuran had been a problem for most of his life.
But Skies could bond. It had taken time on Byakuran's part, but bonding with him and Yuni had made them almost as close as with his guardians, and he had come to care for them just as much.
Together with Yuni, they had managed to keep Byakuran in check. Somewhat.
It made him fear for this world and Kabuto.
But Gaara… Gaara's flames were screaming in loneliness.
He had barely touched them with his own flames, as they latched onto him, and refused to let go. Their bond slid in place without a thought, and Tsuna blinked in shock.
Such loneliness… Tsuna dove a bit further into their bond to get an idea….
Cold, pain, hurt, why, why, why, WHY!?
Thoughts swirling through the bond, screaming in agony.
It took his breath away, and he extracted himself quickly, for fear of being overwhelmed, as best as he could, so he didn't hurt Gaara.
This was worse than anything he had ever (in either lifetime) experienced. This was a crippling pain, the likes of which he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy. Never.
Gaara's eyes grew wide, so wide Tsuna was scared they would pop out of his head, then the redhead smiled, got up and cuddled down next to Tsuna on the bed.
Tsuna blinked, but he honestly couldn't blame Gaara as he dozed off. He ran his hand through the red locks.
He had not expected this, he never could have guessed this, but he wasn't unhappy with it.
Gaara would need to stay close for a while though. A Sky (especially one as hurt as this one) alone was always vulnerable, and he would stay that way until he could create his own first bond with a guardian.
He had no idea how long they stayed there like this, and he didn't really care either.
He only looked up when someone entered the room again. It was only Sasuke and Iruka-nii.
Both watched him with questions in their eyes. Tsuna smiled and only extended his flames towards them.
Their eyes widened, and he could feel their shock in their flames. They understood though, somewhat.
As much as they could without an extensive knowledge on Hyper Dying Will flames.
"So, a new family member?" Iruka-nii asked.
Tsuna shook his head. "Not quite, he's a fellow Sky, but he doesn't have bonds with guardians like I do. He's been hurt worse than I have. He'll need our support. He's family, but not as close as we are bound together. Something like a cousin, maybe?" He tried to explain.
"Alright." Sasuke said with a shrug.
Tsuna smiled at him, pleased. They worked hard to solidify their bond, and finally Sasuke is starting to feel confident enough to not become jealous around new people.
His two guardians sat down, and they talked for a while. They tried to keep the noise down, as to not wake Gaara up.
"The Hokage will be here soon though." Sasuke said after a while. "We're supposed to talk to him, apparently. Alone."
"Shall I take him? Will he be ok with me?" Iruka-nii proposed to Tsuna.
Tsuna bit his lip. "If you keep your flames in contact with his own, he should feel our bond. I haven't been able to explain a lot to him though. He might wake up confused, even violent."
"I'll take him home, and keep Zabuza close. Together, I'm sure we can handle him." Iruka-nii gently lifted Gaara from Tsuna's bed.
"Be careful with him. He's… very fragile right now." Tsuna warned.
"I will, I promise. I'll bring him back later on." Iruka-nii brushed his flames through their bond in reassurance, and Tsuna felt like he could burst with pride.
"Thank you."
Iruka-nii left the room, just as their new Hokage tried to come in.
The man looked remarkably like Shikamaru and he wore the Sandaime's old hat. "Iruka." He greeted as they passed each other.
"Hokage-sama."
The Nara studied the chuunin with the jinjuuriki in his arms, but he didn't ask the question he obviously wanted to ask. Instead he came further into the room and faced the two genin.
"Sorry it took me this long to get here. Wrapping up the exams took longer than I expected." Their new Hokage grimaced.
Tsuna eyed him with wide eyes. Really, Shikamaru's dad couldn't have started this conversation in a more ominous way.
"No worries." Tsuna said hesitantly. "To be honest, I'm not sure why you want to talk to us, Hokage-sama."
He shared a look with Sasuke. They'd speculated about this ever since Shikamaru left earlier. Why would the Hokage want to speak to both of them? If it was anything Flame related he'd either have asked for Tsuna alone, or all his bonded guardians to be present.
"Understandable." Their Hokage said. "Ever since the Sandaime approached me to take over his job, I've been digging into the paperwork of this village. It's like trying to climb an endless mountain, but something came to light that involves you, Uchiha-san. I wanted to tell you as soon as possible. This is something that you should have been told long ago but, seeing the subject, I thought it prudent to have your Sky here as well. We'll have a talk about those bonds later on, but I've been led to understand they're not to be taken lightly."
They watched him with wide eyes. That does not sound good, at all.
"May I call you by your given names? Addressing you by your clan names is a bit troublesome." Shikaku rubbed his neck. Partially, yes, saying Uzumaki-san and Uchiha-san was a mouthful, but he hoped this would help them relax as well.
"Yes, of course." Tsuna said, immediately replied, wanting the man to hurry up and tell them what he had to say. No need to prolong this. No way this conversation would be an easy one.
And then the Hokage started talking. He explained the rising discomfort of the Uchiha, the villages reaction to the Kyuubi's attack, how people had heard the Biju had been under Sharingan control, how Uchiha Fugaku had claimed no Uchiha had had any part in that. How Danzo and his goons had taken advantage of the growing discontent to restrict the Uchiha more and more inside the village, how that had led to the Uchiha starting to rebel, and how in the end the situation had grown to such proportions that Itachi had been ordered to do what he did, without it being the Hokage's orders. And how Itachi was still a loyal shinobi of Konoha, deep undercover in an enemy organisation who could cause a lot of trouble down the line.
He clearly tried to be brief, just give the bare details of the story, but Tsuna barely heard him.
All his attention was on Sasuke.
Sasuke, who had blanched as soon as he realised what they were talking about, who flinched every time his brother's name was mentioned, who had retreated in himself the longer their Hokage kept on talking, and who was in no state of mind to process much more.
His Storm looked both ready to explode and burst into tears. He was shaking and there was a flicker of red around his hands, his shoulders and even in his hair. His hands, clutched in the bedding of Tsuna's bed, almost ripped the fabric apart, and the Storm Flames were disintegrating the fabric it came into contact with.
His own Flames surged forward, brushing soothingly against the distraught red ones. Sasuke was breathing shakily, clinging to his composure as best as he could. His Flames shied away from Tsuna's.
Tsuna frowned. Nope, not happening. He made sure to brush the Flames from the bedding and threw his Flames through their bond. The sudden change overwhelmed Sasuke and his Storm burst into tears the moment they hit him. The Flames would not hurt him, but the overwhelming Harmony would stop him from shying away from his Sky.
Skies were the home of the other elements. Where else could they be this vulnerable and well protected, if not with their Sky?
What else did he have to offer his Family if not this?
Tsuna timed it perfectly, as the Flames disturbed Sasuke's balance and the boy was easy to tug forward. He immediately wrapped Sasuke in as massive a hug as he could, hiding his face away from the world, just in time to catch the first tears in his hospital gown.
He pressed Sasuke's face into his shoulder and clung to his Storm...
Sasuke hammered his fists into whatever he could reach, which included Tsuna's back and shoulders.
He didn't mind. He refused to mind. It didn't even hurt. Sasuke was breaking down. It was ugly and messy, and years overdue, it seemed. There was a flood of tears being released, and the boy gasped for breath in-between bouts of hysterical crying. Maybe for the first time since his family had died?
The fist swinging died down, and Sasuke clung to him desperately.
After a while, the tears died down. Tsuna didn't release his grip on his friend though. Not until Sasuke let him know he was ready to face the world again.
He couldn't begin to imagine what his guardian was feeling. True, he could feel an echo through their bond, but that was all it was. An echo. It gave him an idea, but at the same time, not.
"I understand this is a lot to take in." The Hokage said gently when the crying calmed down a bit.
Sasuke took a deep breath and pushed his face from Tsuna's shoulder. Now, Tsuna let him go, but he took Sasuke's hand in his own. He kept squeezing it, to reassure his friend he was not alone.
Sasuke wiped his cheeks free of tears, and sat back up, but clung to Tsuna's hand. His whole frame was tense, like a spring ready to recoil. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his breathing.
"Be reassured that the ones responsible will be punished, gravely. I have some trustworthy people looking into it. Once we've discovered everything Danzo is responsible for, he and the rest of the people responsible will be punished. You have my word on that." Their Hokage insisted.
Tsuna couldn't help but notice something. One of the first things the Nara clan head had done when he got his title was look into this. It had to have been. He wouldn't be here yet otherwise. This Hokage, their Godaime, had found out, and insisted Sasuke be told.
Which meant… Well, chances were that the Sandaime had known as well. It had all happened while he'd been in power, so it felt logical to assume he had known, and yet, he had never told Sasuke. Never deemed it important enough?
Why?
He glared at his sheets.
What could possibly be more important than telling an eight year old boy that no, his brother hadn't just gone crazy and killed everyone?!
Just how heartless was this village?
"If there is anything I can do to help, in any way, not just with this, and as long as what you ask of me doesn't bring harm to the village, I will do everything in my power to help. This mess is the responsibility of the whole village, and I will do whatever I can to see it cleaned up. Your brother is deep undercover right now, but if you ask it of me…" The Godaime started again.
"No." Sasuke snapped directly. Tsuna laid his free hand on the Uchiha's arm. The tension in the boy's shoulders loosened immediately. "No, I don't… want to see him. Not right now. No."
"I know this is a lot, but I'd rather you heard it from me than through the grapevine in the village. I ordered everyone who knows to silence, for now, but that has proven ineffective in the past."
Tsuna frowned at him, not understanding for a second, then he realised; the Kyuubi had also been a secret, something the people only knew because they had been there during the attack. No one was supposed to talk about it.
Still, parts of the secret hadn't been kept, like Tsuna's involvement, somehow.
"Take some time to process this, and I'll get back to you once we know more." The Godaime ended his talk. He stood up, ready to leave. "If you wish it, I will keep you as closely informed as possible."
"Thank you, and actually, there is something you can do." The Storm looked back up, a determined look on his face. He still looked as if a strong breeze could blow him over, but he seemed unwavering in this. "I was going to speak up about this later on, but… might as well do it now."
"Go ahead." The Godaime shot them a small smile, seemingly eager to do something to help.
"Assign another teacher to team 7."
The man promptly sat back down, stunned.
TBC.
AN: If team 7 gets a new sensei in this story, who'd you want it to be? ^^
Also, I haven't started the next chapter yet, so no idea when I'll update this story again. Thank you all for your patience.
