Another Path Part 3 : That was covered by clouds
Wow, 8 reviews, 65 favorites and 123 follows. Just wow. I never expected that much once my story was finished, so just for 2 chapters... It feels unreal. Thank you all so much.
And don't hesitate to tell me what you think I could do better (or any mistakes I made). I like to improve my writing. Thank you again.
The next day was a little rough for Tsunayoshi. The students had been surprised in the morning to see him without any new wounds and some (including Ienobu who had already noticed he previous day at diner) thought such a mistake had to be corrected. Tsuna was hounded by bullies during each break and was covered in bruises by the time school came to an end.
The offenders, guided and encouraged by a pissed Nobu and whose parents couldn't come pick up until later, planned to target Tsuna at the exit, drag him somewhere less visible and do the job that Hibari Kyoya obviously forgot the previous day.
Tsuna, who wasn't quite as stupid as people wanted to believe, had seen it coming and was actually hoping that said Hibari Kyoya would be waiting for him outside. Not that the 6-year-old wasn't scary, but at least, he wouldn't harm you if you kept to his (very personal and objective) rules. And he knew the boy needed his help to try and summon his flames.
When the bell finally rang, Tsuna didn't wait for the teacher to allow them to leave and rushed to the door with his bag. Hibari wasn't in the hall but Tsuna expected that. The prefect knew he wouldn't run from him (the brunet had actually complied with his demands yesterday, why wouldn't he today) and he most definitely wouldn't wait and crowd with the waiting parents.
But his bullies (minus Ienobu whose mother came to retrieve, conveniently forgetting her other son) were hot on his tail and Tsuna needed to reach safety fast. Dodging the legs of parents, he ran outside and was probably the first person ever to feel glad to see Hibari Kyoya waiting for him.
The boy was scowling at anyone who got to close, but soon spotted the brunet exiting the building in a hurry. The reason for that rush soon became obvious when he discovered the bunch of taller kids running after the Omnivore, so focused on him that they didn't see the sadistic grin forming on the raven's lips.
Finally something to evacuate the annoyance of waiting outside with the weak Herbivores.
The bullies never saw him coming.
Two minutes and a pile of unconscious kids later, Tsuna was following a refreshed Kyoya to his home with a small thankful smile. The servants were even more stunned than the other day : what kind of mental disease did you need to agree to follow their young master twice in a row and with a smile?
Hibari lead the younger boy to the backyard where they were greeted by a shrill "Hibari, Hibari!"
The brunet quickly located the origin of the sound and opened wide eyes at the sight of the yellow fluff ball from the other day on a low branch and with his left wing in a cast. He didn't know the thing could talk! He turned inquisitive eyes to Hibari, who was still in enough of a good mood to answer "That specie can learn words. I called a veterinarian Herbivore to make sure its wing would heal correctly. Now Omnivore, let us start."
Tsuna ignored the squeals of 'Omnivore, Omnivore!' in the background and asked "Have you found meditation techniques?"
Kyoya nodded and pulled an old book from his jacket (probably a dimensional pocket thought Tsuna, there was no other way the rather short boy could hide two tonfas and a book there otherwise). He opened it and proceeded to follow the instructions. "What did it feel like when the flames first appear?" he inquired.
"Ah, well it's a bit hard to describe. I guess I suddenly felt very warm in my chest, like something was growing inside. And for a moment, I felt very calm for some reason. Like very, very calm when I was still falling from that tree. It felt strangely natural too to be honest. Like something that was always supposed to be there finally was."
Tsuna had spent the time during lessons actually thinking of how to help Hibari awaken his flames. It was after all the closest relation he ever had with anyone else. And he suspected it was the same for the raven : Tsuna had noticed he tolerated his presence better than anyone else he had seen so far. Hibari had always answered his questions and had actually held a semi-normal conversation with him. He knew the boy mostly wanted to use that flame ability, but Tsuna couldn't help but feel warm inside. It was the closest to friendship he ever experienced.
Hibari was about to start meditating when Tsuna got a book out of his bag and asked "Since I can't really help you meditating, I was wondering if I could study. I'll stay close if you have any question or if you need something of course".
After taking a look at the book and arching an eyebrow at the sight of a manual for mid-level Italian, Hibari gave a small nod and closed his eyes to focus. It's true that the Omnivore couldn't help him meditating, and as long as he didn't bother him, it wouldn't pose a problem. Receiving a nod from the other boy, Tsuna got himself comfortable on the ground and focused on his manual. He had the basics of Italian and needed to increase his vocabulary now.
Eight days passed in a similar manner, with Hibari picking Tsuna up after school (which baffled his bullies an brother) or early at home when the weekend came (thankfully Tsuna always woke up early and actually bumped in Hibari on the way to his house, and how did he know his address exactly?). The two boys would spend the day in silence respectively meditating or studying Italian. During weekends, a servant even brought Hibari and a grateful Tsuna something to eat at lunch. They parted before dinnertime. Hibari would have been fed up normally by this routine, but the for some reason, he tolerated the Omnivore's presence (he wouldn't admit to appreciating the company) and he could feel that he was close to a breakthrough. Sometimes it felt like the fire he was reaching for was just at the tip of his fingers.
On the ninth day, after a few hours had passed in silence, Tsuna suddenly raised his head and stared at the raven head. He could have sworn he felt something similar to his flames coming from Hibari. It was a bit different, but the overall feeling was the same.
He kept staring until suddenly, a wisp of a purple flame burst on the boy's open palm. Apparently Kyoya felt it as well, since he opened his eyes, looking a bit surprised. Tsuna was grinning "You did it Hibari-san! There definitely was a purple flame on your hand just now!"
The 6-year-old just stared at his hand for a moment before stating with an elusive smile "It feels strange, but it definitely feels like a fire in my chest. Do you know why my flame is purple?" he raised his head to stare at the Omnivore and the small flame died out. But the warmth inside remained.
"No idea, maybe it changes from one individual to the next. Anyway, if it is like me, it should be easier now to summon it. It was tricky at first, but after a week of training, I could call mine instantly."
Hibari nodded, still a bit surprised by the feeling in his chest. It wasn't unpleasant, it actually felt just like the Omnivore had explained : like something missing so far had finally been set. "Do you know ways to increase its power or to help manipulating it?"
"Well, again, it was trial-and-error, but I think I can help and tell you a few ways." The brunet stopped and seemed to realize something as his happy smile dropped. "I guess after that I won't have any reason to see you again". He was really depressed by the thought. His closest acquaintance was Hibari Kyoya, no matter how odd that sounded.
The raven paused for a moment. He also slowly warmed up to the presence of the Omnivore. And strangely enough, he knew he would miss him if they were to part ways there. Not that he would tell him, but the brunet had quickly become a part of his life that he didn't want to lose. He was the first individual that he recognized as an Omnivore, and the first person to actually agree to spend time with him (the half-threats at the beginning were never repeated and Tsuna always followed him willingly after that).
"Hn, I guess you could continue coming here after this. That way, you won't threaten the peace of Namimori by wandering around."
Hibari could see the brunet's face light up more and more at each word. It seems he was really distraught at the idea of not meeting with the 6-year-old anymore. It made the raven head feel warm inside, but he dismissed it with the fire ability's warmth.
"So" began Tsuna with hesitation. He didn't want his next sentence to be ill-received by the older boy, but needed to be sure. Kyoya was just wondering what put him in such a herbivorous state. "We meet every day and we spend time together. I know we don't know much about each other, but doesn't that make us... friends?" he asked hopefully.
Hibari stayed silent for a long time and Tsuna was squirming anxiously. Truthfully, Kyoya couldn't deny what the Omnivore said. He did spend an awful lot of time in his presence, and somehow found himself to enjoy it. He also did want to spend more time in the future with the only person he felt comfortable around (now that he thought back on it, how did he feel relaxed enough with Tsuna nearby that he lowered his guard and meditated?).
It was just that 'being friends' sounded like too much of a herbivorous term for him to be using. Then again, the small brunet in front of him looked so desperate for his approval that even the demon on Namimori didn't have the heart to say no. And it was true either way...
"Hn, I suppose we are" he said between his teeth, looking anywhere but the sparkling amber eyes before him. How can the Omnivore not be embarrassed by this and emit such a shiny, happy aura? Maybe it was an Omnivore's thing.
Tsuna would have hugged the raven if he didn't remember that the boy loathed crowding and human contact. But he still grinned like a loon. "So you're my first friend, Hibari-san!"
Hibari hesitated a moment before answering "Kyoya".
"What?" Tsuna thought he misheard. It wasn't possible.
"If we are to be" he paused for a second, the word foreign on his tongue. "friends, you should call me Kyoya".
Tsuna looked like he was about to burst into tears and Hibari was on the verge of panicking : he did not know how to deal with a crying Omnivore, except maybe with a tonfa on the head, but that didn't seem appropriate in this situation.
"Kyoya-san?" he tried, unsure. Then a huge smile bloomed on his face. "Then you should call me Tsunayoshi. Or just Tsuna since my full name is a mouthful".
"Tsunayoshi it is, then" Hibari turned his head, attempting to hide the slight blush on his cheeks. It was the first time he called anyone apart from family by their first name. Tsuna pretended not to notice. "Anyway", he shook himself "you should head back home. It is almost time for me to start my patrols".
Kyoya noticed once again the slight frown that appeared at the word 'home' but didn't comment. He had already realized that something was wrong with his... it was still strange, but anyway... Something was wrong with his friend's home life. His brother obviously enjoyed tormenting him judging from his behavior at school. He saw his mother come pick up her younger son (and they were related, Hibari had checked), completely ignoring the older twin chased by bullies. Tsunayoshi was always outside and seemed to avoid going to his house as much as possible for a 4-year-old. And don't get him started on the bruises an cuts that everyone seemed to consciously avoid seeing.
Then again, there was the weird attitude of those at kindergarten. The nickname 'Dame-Tsuna was highly unwarranted. The boy wasn't the most athletic kid, but he was certainly not as clumsy as his reputation. Hell, he could walk around town non-stop for almost an entire day. At four! Kyoya could do that too, but he was well aware that he was an exception. And don't try to make him believe a stupid student with grades like those he saw (yes, he did see Tsuna's grades too. What, he was just curious!) could study with such discipline another language. How come the Omnivore had multiple zeros on tests to see if he knew his symbols when he could read without problems a book half in Japanese, half in Italian?
Hibari had already made up his mind. Since he already accepted that he was Tsunayoshi's friend, he would play his part fully. And that meant he would question the boy on his nonsensical situation the next time they met.
But for now, he had to patrol the streets.
As Tsuna was leaving the Hibari mansion, he was surprised to see his new friend walking by his side. "Hi- I mean Kyoya-san? Why are you going this way, don't you normally start patrolling in the other direction?"
"I can patrol the streets in whatever order I want" he huffed. "And I want to make sure you make it home without incidents. You're always covered in small injuries". Tsuna blushed. He didn't know that Hibari had noticed the wounds he did his best to hide.
"You will have to explain to me how you got them tomorrow after kindergarten" he added.
Tsuna lowered his head, but nodded. He was aware he couldn't hide his situation from the older boy forever, and was grateful for the added time to gather his thoughts.
The two kids with a special flame ability walked to the home of the brunet in silence.
()()()()()()
"She what?" growled Hibari. He had never heard of such a stupid reason for neglecting a child the way Tsuna just told him Nana did.
"She misses her husband" began Tsuna while petting the now healed bird in his lap "who is almost always absent for his work, and, since Ienobu looks a lot like him, she focuses all her attention on him. At least that's what I understood. She's always fussing about how her 'adorable No-kun is so much like his father, it's like she sees him here'" he explains with a tinge of bitterness. Nana never directed such loving words and eyes to him. "She's so focused on Nobu that she forgets I'm here half the time. And she sees Nobu as such a great child that she believes whatever he tells her.
Iemitsu, my father, and don't ask me what his job is, I have no idea. He gives us those ridiculous explanations and fake postcards, and expect us to believe his lies. Well, Mama and Nobu buy it. Anyway, he tries to be more fair and to give us the same amount of attention, but he's closer to Nobu since they have more in common. Also, whenever he tries to talk to me, Nobu draws his attention back to him and throws a tantrum if be doesn't comply immediately. But since Iemitsu is almost never home, it wouldn't change anything if he tried harder to create bonds with me."
Kyoya didn't really know where to start, but truly wanted to help his first friend (he had managed to more or less assimilate that idea during the night) so he asked the first thing that came to mind. "Do you always call your father by his first name?"
"Oh, well, I hardly remember him to be honest. During the last two years, he only came back home three times for a week each time and left. And we don't have anything that could be called father-child bonds. That, and he tends to believe whatever Nobu says too, like how I cheated during my first test."
"You cheated during a test?" Hibari was doubtful. He despised any form of cheating and breaking rules, but the child before him was one of the most honest kids he ever met. It just didn't click.
"No, I had full marks at the Japanese test honestly, but Nobu, who had a lower grade, told the teacher I had a paper with the answers with me." Tsuna said in the most blank tone possible. Kyoya could tell he was actually upset. "The teacher believed him, and so did the rest of the class when she confronted me. Nobu had told everyone that I'm a stupid clumsy no-good child and, since everyone sees him as a leader, they trusted him, hence my reputation as Dame-Tsuna. Anyway, the teacher ended up calling my parents (it was one of the weeks Iemitsu was there) and they believed that it was true as well. Mama always said Nobu was smarter than me, and Iemitsu has never been around long enough to see for himself that it's wrong. Not that I want to brag, but I'm quite smart. At least when it comes to languages. I can already speak and write fluently in Japanese and English, and I'm doing well with Italian so far." A sliver of pride finally appeared in his voice.
Kyoya nodded. It made sense and would explain part of the mystery. But not all of it. "So how exactly did you get all those injuries and why doesn't anyone notice?"
"Nobody notices since they believe, and by 'they' I mean the teachers, and Iemitsu when he's here, that it is due to my 'hopeless clumsiness'. The others don't care, like Mama and most of the students, some teachers too, or they are the ones responsible. When they catch me, bullies never hold back, and Nobu gives them a hand. Actually, he hits me often at home and tells Mama that it's because I started it or that I was mean to him. Mama always believes him, and even sometimes hits me herself when she thinks I 'wronged' Nobu. Like if I eat some snacks she bought for him." Tsuna was close to tears but held them back. He knew Kyoya wouldn't know how to deal with them. And it still felt good to get everything off his chest. He never had anyone to confide in. At least no-one who would believe him.
"And why don't you use your power to stop that? You could have easily beat them all up with the control you have on your flames." Hibari was growing increasingly more enraged. He appeared calm, but he was boiling inside, he could even feel his flame shifting furiously in his chest. He hadn't known the Omnivore for very long, but he could tell that Tsunayoshi, his first friend, didn't deserve such treatment.
"Well... You see, I have a pretty accurate intuition, I can usually tell which way to go and which to avoid for instance, or if there is something important I have to see or do. It never failed me and even saved my life quite a few time. And every time I got bullied, it always told me that I should keep my ability hidden. The time with Hibird" he petted the fluff ball who was thus named due to his attachment to the older boy. "was an exception. Those high-schoolers were really going to injure me and the little one."
Hibari nodded. It made some sense. The ability to summon fire was strange, and who knows how people would react to it. The three attackers had certainly reacted badly, trying to kill the Omnivore. It was a power that was to be used as a last resort, and Kyoya would keep it as such. At least when he got enough control over it to use it in a fight.
Speaking of fights. "Since you can't seem to defend yourself without revealing your power, Tsunayoshi, I have decided to teach you how to fight properly" he declared and was met with a surprised brunet.
"Fight, Kyoya-san?" Tsuna seemed hesitant. "I don't know. I don't like using violence. Not that I think your way of dealing with things is wrong, but I don't think injuring others suits me." He had his eyes downcast.
"You can use fighting abilities to injure or to protect yourself. It is possible to incapacitate an opponent without wounding him, and that leaves you time to move." It wasn't a strategy Hibari used, but his parents had told him about it and he could see how it would fit Tsunayoshi. The Omnivore had proven that he didn't like harming others the day they met, but also that he could show his fangs if he really needed to. Now Kyoya just had to make sure those fangs were sharp enough.
Tsuna was considering that point. "I guess, if you say so. You're the fighting expert here. But are you sure you want to teach me? I'm not as useless as I'm made to be, but I'm most definitely not as athletic or powerful as you."
"I wouldn't have told you if I wasn't sure. You need to at least be able to defend yourself against those bullies. I'll teach you the basics." What neither boy knew was that a Hibari's definition of basic fighting abilities was high. Like very high compared to the rest of the world. "And you can think of it as a way to return you teaching me how to call and manipulate my flames".
Tsuna shook his head. "Me teaching you was not in hopes of anything. Besides you pretty much figured it out by yourself, I did almost nothing. And you would find a way to manipulate and strengthen your flames without me too, the most I can offer are some tips based on personal experience." Kyoya was about to retort when Tsuna interrupted him. "How about I teach you something else to make up for you teaching me fighting? That way, we won't have to argue about this anymore. The only thing I could teach you that you don't see at school are languages, though. So how about it, Kyoya-san? Want to learn to speak English and Italian?" asked the brunet with a smile.
Hibari just couldn't seem to find the strength to say no to that face. He hoped it wouldn't be a common occurrence. Truthfully, he wasn't very interested in learning any language besides Japanese, but he figured that it wouldn't hurt to know a few more. And Tsunayoshi seemed very excited by that prospect. "Alright, I'll teach you fighting techniques and you'll teach me languages."
Tsuna beamed at him. He couldn't believe yet that he had found a friend willing to spend time with him. It was a wonderful feeling.
"Well, now that this is settled and you know all about my life, could you tell me more about you?" asked Tsuna.
"What do you want to know?"
"Well... Why you always go on patrols for instance."
"My family has always kept the peace of Namimori and prevented any unlawful Herbivores from disturbing it. My parents are not here at the moment, so it is my job to bite them to death" replied Hibari calmly. He refrained from adding that beating the hell out of delinquents and criminals was a great outing for the frustration of sharing his city with lowly Herbivores, law-abiding or no. He didn't want Tsunayoshi to take it personally when it was not. And he had a feeling the Omnivore wouldn't understand the notion of refreshing violence.
"And where are your parents, if you don't mind me asking" hurriedly added the 4-year-old. He knew all too well that family matters could be a delicate subject.
"I don't mind. They each work abroad, and I don't see them very often. But it's fine that way, none of us really enjoy being around each other for too long. We're close, but like to keep our freedom. They still call from time to time and send messages for big occasions." And Kyoya was truly fine with that. He knew his parents loved him and cared for him in their own way and they didn't crowd around him.
"And what do they do for a living?"
At this, Hibari paused. He knew that his parents' respective occupations were not accepted by people in general. But then again, the Omnivore was different from anybody else. He didn't want to shock him and make him leave, but he also somehow trusted that Tsunayoshi wouldn't end their friendship for such a thing. And the boy had just told him his secrets, from his power to his family situation. It was only fair for Kyoya to do the same.
"My mother works as an intelligence officer" he started carefully, keeping an eye on the Omnivore's reaction. "She finds and arrests people who commit international crimes." That was the easy part. "My father... works as a free-lance assassin."
Tsuna was surprised by that piece of information, but believed that people who cared about Kyoya couldn't be so bad. In comparison, his own mistreating family sounded worse. No, what really puzzled him was "How can your parents be married when they work on different sides of the law? Isn't it a contradiction?"
Kyoya let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. Yep, the Omnivore was strange to be worried about that issue, but he supposed it was better that way. He really didn't know when he had grown so attached to Tsunayoshi that he feared him leaving that much.
"We Hibaris like to have our freedom. We follow our own rules and uphold them, but we don't force other family members to think the same way. My parents both follow the way of life they believe in" there was a hint of pride in his tone. "They always put any differences in opinion aside when they come home. It's the same with all Hibaris. We let each other do what we want as long as we don't bother the others, but when we all meet or one of us needs backup, we all move to answer" now, Kyoya was glowing with pride. Tsuna could see it and smiled. He saw that the raven head loved his family and that his family loved him. He would have almost felt jealous if he wasn't so glad for his friend.
"Anyway" Hibari cut Tsuna from his thoughts "if you have no more questions, we should begin your combat and my flame training. For now, you have to build up some muscle, so first teach me some techniques to help summon my flames and then run laps around the training grounds while I practice." ordered Kyoya.
Tsuna nodded cheerfully and proceeded to explain how best to call his flames to the surface and showed how he did it. Then he started running around the backyard as Hibari sat down to focus on his training. He knew it would be tough, and that Kyoya would expect him to do things seriously, and he would, but for now he couldn't help the smile creeping on his face.
Doing things with friends was so much fun.