Another Path Part 16 : That came to an agreement
A thousand apologies for the lateness of this chapter. Things happened in real life and it completely slipped my out of my mind. After that, I changed my laptop, and instead of copying all the crap I have saved (which is a lot, I tend to accumulate useless things and never get rid of them), I only transfered a few select things. So I lost the few chapters I had in advance. And then, a couple days ago, a discussion with a friend suddenly reminded me of this story. Thankfully, I still had all my notes (buried under a pile of other drabbles and half finished drawings, because I also never throw my papers, no matter how useless).
So here's the continuation of Another Path, several months late, sorry again. And from now on, chapters will be updated more on a monthly basis, since I no longer have more written. And if this chapter feels a bit disjointed or rushed, feel free to say so. I might work back on it if it is too blatant.
As for Kyoko and Haru, well, I can't see how to include Ryohei without adding his sister, and Haru just followed along in my notes (and is also a good excuse to have Kyoko busy away from the main plot). But neither girl will be very important in this story, don't worry. I don't like them much myself to be honest.
It had been exactly 27 minutes since the exchange of memories had begun. Hayato had checked. The blue pineapple had said it would be 30 minutes at most. This was growing increasingly more concerning. And it would have been worse if he could see how pale Tsuna had become, or the tears running down his cheeks in silence. Fortunately for everyone, the members of Caeruleus were standing behind their leader so they wouldn't see his face, and no-one had a reason to go on a rampage... more than usual.
Mukuro's crew was just the same. They couldn't see their leader frowning heavily, but were still worried sick. The bluenet's original plan had been thwarted, and they all knew how much the teen hated improvising. Also, he should have already possessed the brunet and woken up; they were aware that he could take over others' body with just physical contact. So what was going on?
With a shiver, Mukuro suddenly woke up and opened his eyes, still frowning. Tsuna followed right after him and couldn't quite hide a sob. That got his friends to panic and they rushed to his side, tonfas and explosives ready.
"Tsuna-san! Are you alright? What did that bastard do? I'll blow him up!"
"No Hayato!" Ordered the brunet with a shaking voice. He was trying his best to stop the tears and wiped his face with his free hand. The other was still holding Mukuro's. "I'm fine, it's just that... Mukuro's memories were a bit... They weren't very pleasant."
The silveret grudgingly extinguished the stick he had lit, but kept glaring at the illusionist, along with Kyoya. Not that the bluenet noticed, as he was currently staring at the hand holding his own.
"Mukuro-sama?" Asked Chikusa while he walked closer to his leader's side, slowly and with his hands raised so as not to be attacked. From the brunet's reaction, he was still himself, so the yo-yo-user was extremely worried for his Boss. It wasn't like Mukuro to let go of such an opportunity. "Is something wrong?"
The illusionist didn't answer him, and only absently shook his head. After a minute more of staring, he looked up to the foolish Sky's eyes. "Why are you still holding me?"
The boy, who had managed to calm down thanks to Hayato's and Kyoya's comfort (Shoichi had stayed back to protect the kids, just in case), looked back. "Because I don't want to let go."
"That's stupid. You should know what I can do now." Mukuro didn't understand and replied aggressively.
"You haven't done it when you could have easily, so you won't do it now." Answered Tsuna with absolute certainty. "And I meant what I said before, I want to help you. I think you know that now. The only thing I lack is you letting me help you."
Again with the staring orange eyes, thought Mukuro. But he was still in disbelief. "You've seen what I did. I can do it again. I can kill you all once you turn your backs on me. That's the kind of monster I am."
"You're not!" Almost screamed the brunet, and for half a second, Mukuro was tempted to believe that. His three minions were now behind him, as were the two fighters of Caeruleus with Tsuna. They were silent, understanding that this was a conversation they could not intrude in. The Sky's hand squeezed his. He had still not let go. "You did what you could to protect yourself and your friends with what you had. I still don't endorse murder when there are other solutions, but it's easy to see that you had your back to a wall. Both times. You're not a monster, you were just placed into horrible situations and did your best."
Something seemed to feel lighter in Mukuro's chest. It was the first time anyone had told him he had not been wrong. Not right either, but at least not wrong. Ken and Chikusa never spoke of their Estraneo days, and he couldn't blame them. He didn't want to re-live those memories either. And he had never really told them why he had slaughtered Lancia's Famiglia. They had seemingly welcomed them in, and he never had the heart to tell his two companions that they were about to be disposed of by the very first people that promised to take care of them. Chikusa and Ken had not even actually killed any member of that Famiglia, directly or indirectly. They had just obeyed Mukuro's orders when he told them his plan and went to prepare everything for their following run from Vindice.
He had never told Lancia either. The man wouldn't have believed him before the slaughter, and he had had no time to convince him properly if he wanted to save Ken and Chikusa. So the illusionist had possessed him and used his hands to kill his fellow Famiglia members. He knew the man resented him, obviously, and doubted he would have listened to the truth afterwards. Also, Mukuro wasn't unnecessarily cruel, despite appearances. He had no qualms destabilizing his opponents and using whatever means available to get his way, but he wouldn't harm people without reason. Explaining to Lancia that the Famiglia that adopted and raised him before it had picked up Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had only kept him because he was useful and strong would only hurt the man. Hurt him, and not convince him.
So Tsunayoshi's words were a first to Mukuro, and he felt warm inside. Lighter, but also terribly confused. He didn't know what to answer back, but thankfully, the brunet continued with another squeeze of his hand. "I still want to help you and your friends. I really do, and you know that. The only thing I want in exchange is for you to tell them the truth. The whole truth."
That, Mukuro could reply to. "They don't need to know the whole truth."
To any other individual, he would have sounded like he didn't want to share information with his pawns, who were too stupid or not trusted enough to know. From the varying reactions of the standing people, that's exactly what they believed. But Tsuna had seen his past and heard his thoughts. He saw hat Mukuro was actually worried for them in his own twisted way. He didn't want to hurt them.
"Yes, they do. They can make their own decisions as well, you know. Give them some credit. And no matter how much it pains them, they deserve to know the truth. You deserve to have them know the truth. It's only fair. And that's the only condition I have with helping you avoid Vindice."
Behind him, Hayato choked. Of all the members of Caeruleus, he was the only one to know who, or rather what Vindice was, although he had never seen them. But he had heard stories. "Tsuna-san, you mean they are..." The brunet turned to him and nodded.
"Yes, they are wanted by Vindice. And I have seen enough from Mukuro's memories to know who they are and what they do. But nothing Mukuro and his friends have done should warrant their imprisonment. So I intend to lend a hand, if you all agree."
Kyoya studied him carefully for a moment before grunting. "You always do what you want either way, Tsunayoshi. I won't stop you this time if you are so sure."
"Neither will I." Declared Shoichi from the back, Lambo and I-pin asleep in his arms. "I'll help however I can."
All the awake members of Caeruleus turned to the last one who hadn't answered yet. Hayato was torn between his loyalty to his Tsuna-san, and the natural fear that any Mafiosi felt towards Vindice. In the end, of course, his Boss won. "Alright, Tsuna-san. I'm in as well. But if those bastards ever try something against you, I'll blow them up before Vindice even has a chance to catch them." He threatened, and the brunet smiled gratefully.
He turned back towards Mukuro (whose hand was still in his. But he didn't want to let go just yet). "You see, we'll all help. But you have to explain everything to your companions beforehand. Especially Lancia, he has the right to decide of his future with all the cards in hand."
Mukuro wasn't pleased. At all. But he could see that the brunet wouldn't yield, and the boy was the only chance he had. However, let it never be said that Rokudo Mukuro admitted defeat easily. He had appearances to keep, so he only huffed arrogantly. "You better keep your word, Tsunayoshi."
That earned him an amused smile and a shake of his hand. Like sealing a contract. "We'll return to Caeruleus to put the kids to bed. You know where to find us once you're done. And you shouldn't stay here much longer either, the police will probably arrive soon."
The brunet finally let go of Mukuro's hand, and the bluenet found himself missing the warmth. Not that he would ever admit it.
Tsuna got up, stretched and went to pick Lambo from Shoichi's arms. He then left the supermarket from the staff door with his friends.
Mukuro stood as well, and met the inquisitive and suspicious eyes of his subordinates. This was not going to be easy.
()()()()()()
Tsuna and his friends had returned to the shop almost an hour ago. During that time, the brunet had tucked his two young wards to bed, and supplied the older members with a short report of what he had seen in Mukuro's past. He didn't go into details, or the illusionist's thoughts, and only told the facts. He also gave a quick explanation on Vindice for his two civilian friends' benefit. Once he had finished, Shoichi's face had turned a delicate shade of green, Kyoya was frowning even more than usual, and Hayato didn't seem to know what to think.
"So, Tsuna-san, if I got this all right, you just invited fugitives from Vindice to Caeruleus. Fugitives who have committed mass-murder at that."
"In short, Hayato, yes, I have. But it was self-defense every time. The Estraneo had it coming, and Lancia's Famiglia -I don't know their name, it probably didn't seem important enough for Mukuro to remember- was hardly better. After what he had endured at the Estraneo's hands, I can't exactly blame Mukuro for protecting his friends, although I would have done it differently in his place." Tsuna's face was serious. He wanted his friends to understand his decision, and to accept the run-aways in.
"You're certain they won't stab us in the back?" Asked Shoichi. His face now looked a bit more healthy, despite its remaining paleness.
"I am. My Intuition is sure of it, and given what I've seen of Mukuro's memories, they only attacked to protect themselves. We don't risk anything as long as we don't betray their trust first."
They all pondered on that last statement for a while, until Kyoya broke the heavy silence. "What makes you so sure they will come back?"
Tsuna rejoiced inwardly. That question meant that the raven had accepted that Mukuro and his friends wouldn't harm them. He still didn't like them, but he wouldn't attack them on sight either, and with Kyoya's personality, that was a great step forward. "My Intuition, again. And the fact that the don't really have any other option. The need a group that can offer them some protection, but no Famiglia would interfere with Vindice. Most civilian companies that could help are too easily tracked, and would question their age and background. Caeruleus was an unexpected solution. I'm sure they'll come here very soon."
"Your Intuition really is oddly accurate, Tsunayoshi." Came a voice from the front door.
All the members of Caeruleus turned brusquely to see who had spoken. And sure enough, Mukuro stood in front of the door. Behind him were Ken and Chikusa, but Lancia was nowhere to be seen.
"Mukuro!" Exclaimed Tsuna, to which the illusionist replied with a slow bend of his head. "And your two friends are here too. Ken and Chikusa, wasn't it?" He asked as he got closer to greet them. The two boys didn't seem to know how to react to the brunet's friendliness, especially since a short while ago they had been at each other's throats. Not to mention they were unused to people being so nice in general without an ulterior motive.
But Tsuna was completely unaffected by their coldness and proceeded to shake their hands (without their consent, but they were too stunned to react in time) and introduced himself, as well as his friends. Hayato and Kyoya frowned heavily at their leader's actions but remained thankfully silent, Shoichi seemed paralyzed and Mukuro just smirked knowingly.
"So I take it Mukuro told you the whole truth?" Asked Tsuna, either unfazed or oblivious to the unease saturating the room, you could never really tell with the brunet. "I guess mister Lancia didn't want to stay, since he isn't here." He seemed saddened.
"Lancia decided he needed some time to ponder this new information." Supplied Mukuro, since he was the only one of his group able to answer at the moment -Ken was uncharacteristically mute and Chikusa seemed to have lost his tongue. "He didn't believe me at first, so I had to use my knowledge of his Famiglia's most... unsavory business to convince him. The man didn't take it very well." There was a trace of remorse in the bluenet's voice, but it was too well hidden for anyone not familiar to hear. Or for anyone who hadn't recently been inside his head.
"I see... That's too bad, but we'll be here if he decides to come back, or if he needs something." Tsuna lost himself in his thoughts briefly, then shook his head and returned to the situation at hand. "So, you're here to join Caeruleus?"
The three runaways exchanged a look before Mukuro -who was still the leader and whose decisions the others would follow- nodded. "Vindice is still after us. Lancia might be able to escape since he was never their main objective, but not us. Two dead Famiglias are too much for the police of the Mafia to ignore. So we decided to take your offer and hide here."
"That's good to hear." Replied Tsuna with a broad smile. Ken and Chikusa wondered why he was so happy to house criminals, and would have already fled if Mukuro hadn't convinced them that the boy's help was genuine. "We were talking about that when you arrived. We more or less came to an agreement, and you're welcome to stay." Two grunts sounded behind him, but Tsuna ignored them. He knew his friends enough to tell that they had accepted the new arrangement, but were too stubborn to admit it. "We have three free rooms, actually, so you're free to use them. However, since you are now a part of Caeruleus, you'll have to follow our rules. It's nothing too harsh, I promise."
He then gestured them towards one of the sofas where he sat in front of them. Kyoya and Hayato immediately went to sit at his sides, like bodyguards.
Shoichi, who had finally found his ability to move along with his good manners, offered them drinks. Seeing that none of their newest members answered and instead directed distrustful eyes at the red-head, Tsuna said that he would like some tea, and asked the inventor to bring a teapot for everyone as well. Tea wasn't his favorite drink, but it was a strategic choice : Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa could be sure that it wasn't drugged or poisoned (which was obviously what they feared), since they would all be served from the same teapot; and tea always had a soothing effect on Kyoya's temper. As long as it was Japanese, but the Sky trusted Shoichi to follow his thoughts and chose the right kind.
For the following two hours, Tsuna and his friends exposed the details of their business to the three newcomers. The latter had very few questions and mostly listened in silence, sometimes sipping their tea (only once Tsuna had taken the first gulp to prove it was safe), or taking a bite of the sandwiches that were later placed in front of them by Shoichi (again, they had waited for the brunet to eat a mouthful).
At the end of the long explanation, since it was already late and they had all had an eventful day, Tsuna showed the three to their new bedrooms (thankfully, they had bought beds and desks ages before, even though the rooms had been free), before heading to his own.
As he lied in his bed, the Sky was wondering what he could do to help the newcomers get over their distrust of the world and everyone in it. It was a problem he had never faced before. He himself believed in people too easily (Ienobu's third assassination attempt was undeniable proof), but none of his friends had been so wary before. Kyoya was so sure of his fighting ability that he never had a reason to be cautious around him before they became friends. They had greatly helped Shoichi when they met, so the inventor never had to question their motives towards him, even if he had been terrified of them at first. Hayato had been a bit more difficult, but saving him from these Mafiosi had instantly turned Tsuna into some kind of sacred figure in his eyes. Lambo and I-pin were too young to truly understand the risks with trusting a stranger, and besides, they had met with circumstances that cast Tsuna and his friends in a good light.
In the end, the Sky figured that only time and constant kindness and care would help the three runaways get comfortable around the others.
()()()()()()
Tsuna woke up at 6h30, got ready and headed to the kitchen. Today was his turn to prepare breakfast, so he had set his alarm earlier than usual. He absently noted to himself that a new schedule would have to be made to include Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken. He also reminded himself to test their cooking ability before letting them alone in the kitchen. No-one wanted another 'Hayato Incident'.
However, he was surprised to see that he was not the first to wake up today.
Mukuro was standing in the kitchen, looking into every cupboard and drawer. Tsuna couldn't tell if he was checking for any poison or incriminating evidence, or if he was hunting something to eat.
The bluenet hadn't noticed him, so Tsuna stayed silent for a minute before deciding he had waited long enough. "Good morning Mukuro." He greeted, low enough not to wake the remaining sleeping people, but loud enough for the illusionist to hear distinctly.
Mukuro started slightly and a trident appeared in his hand instantly. He jumped into a fighting posture before recognizing the brunet, making his weapon vanish and dropping his guard. Not completely, noted Tsuna, but it was still a small mark of trust.
"Good morning to you as well, Tsunayoshi." He answered. "I hope you slept well." He added after a moment. Tsuna could tell he was trying to behave civilly and to make him forget his earlier reaction. It made the brunet smile to see that Mukuro was truly trying, even if he doubted the illusionist would be so polite with the other members. Sharing their pasts had created an odd bond between the two boys, a mutual understanding of sorts, so they both were relatively at ease around each other. Tsuna knew Mukuro wouldn't harm him or his friends if they didn't do anything to threaten the bluenet, while Mukuro knew that Tsuna genuinely wanted to help him.
Tsuna also suspected his Harmony helped set the other at ease. He was almost positive that he had unknowingly created a bond with the Mist-user when they had exchanged their memories -something his Intuition seemed to confirm- and that as a result, he was in the middle of forging two other bonds with Ken and Chikusa. Not that he regretted it, he would just like to know when and how he created these bonds. Fon had told him that normally, Skies forged bonds with their elements consciously, which was not his case. He didn't have any proof of it, but he was sure that he had an Element bond with Kyoya, Shoichi, Hayato, Lambo, I-pin and even Fon, all of which he only recognized after they had been created. But then again, the Arcobaleno had told him that, as far as he knew, Skies had only one bond with each type of Flame, to a grand total of six. Tsuna had three Storms, and seven bonds now that he included Mukuro, soon to have nine.
So yeah, maybe his friends were on to something when they had concluded that he and his Sky Flame were just weird. Just maybe...
Anyway, he had to answer Mukuro, instead of daydreaming. "I have slept like a log, thanks to yesterdays' excitement, thank you. Would have stayed in bed a bit longer if it wasn't my turn to prepare breakfast, actually. And you? Are you always up so early?
"It is necessary when you are on the run, I'm afraid. And it will take time for me to get over that habit. Chikusa and Mukuro, however, seem to fully enjoy the rare luxury that is a real bed. I haven't seen them sleep so long since quite so time ago."
Tsuna could guess that the Mukuro was referring to their time in Lancia's Famiglia, and that it was still a sore subject for the illusionist, so he quickly changed the subject. "I was planning to make pancakes, today, to celebrate the three new arrivals in out little family. Would you mind giving a hand? You will soon have to take turns cooking yourselves, so we'll have to check if you can cook first. It's a security measure we created after Hayato's first feats in the kitchen..."
Mukuro raised a lone eyebrow as a question, but agreed to help. Tsuna gave him instructions, and the bluenet, who had no prior experience in the kitchen, followed. Turned out that Mukuro could follow a recipe with no problem, and should be safe to leave alone in front of an oven. The only small issue was that he was a perfectionist : if the cooking book said '500g of flour', he would spend a ridiculous amount of time weighing the flour and making sure that there were exactly 500g of flour and not a gram more or less. It amused Tsuna to no end to see the feared illusionist Mukuro Rokudo, who had been to hell six times and dragged himself back each time, who had slaughtered not one, but two Mafia Famiglias singlehandedly and who had eluded Vindice ever since grumble and complain that the yolk of the eggs had broken free and mixed with the rest.
Mukuro had inquired as to why he and his two friends (Tsuna always called them that, and the bluenet had given up trying to correct him each time) would need to show their skills in the kitchen. Tsuna had happily related the epic tales of Hayato cooking pasta, or Hayato frying steaks as he and Mukuro rotated to cook the pancakes. The illusionist had gleefully remembered the details to taunt the silveret later. The brunet was just happy that his newest friend (another title Mukuro had given up on changing, Tsuna was way too stubborn. That was the excuse he gave himself at least for not protesting) was interested in his other companions.
Lambo and I-pin were the first to wake up. The boy had a nose for all things sweet that pancakes had obviously tingled, and he must have dragged the girl out of bed with him.
As they entered the kitchen, they sent a wary glance towards Mukuro, since they didn't know what he was doing here; they had been asleep when everything was decided. The bluenet had the decency to look elsewhere to let the afro-haired boy and the Chinese girl pass by him and go to Tsuna. The illusionist really felt guilty about telling Ken to take them hostage and threaten them. He had lived through the Estraneo's experiments, and as one of the oldest test subjects had taken upon himself to manage the younger ones. Innocent kids were to be protected, that was one of the few convictions Mukuro had, and he felt terrible for betraying it.
But unfortunately, Mukuro was not very used to social situations. Or rather, he was unused to being genuine in social situations : he could fake his emotions and blend in flawlessly whenever he wanted, but was unable to be honest when he wanted to.
So he had no idea how to genuinely express his regret to the two kids.
Thankfully, Tsuna understood the situation, and had a much better touch with kids.
"Lambo, I-pin, good morning! Mukuro and I made pancakes today to celebrate his and his friends' arrival in Caeruleus. They will be living with us from today onwards."
The two kids exchanged a questioning glance, and I-pin asked. "Mukuro and friends not bad?"
Tsuna shook his head. "No, he and his two friends Ken and Chikusa were just very lost and didn't know what to do. So they attacked us to get our help, but they regret it now. That's why Mukuro helped make pancakes today : to ask us to forgive them, because they are not very used to being around nice people, so they are not very good at saying what they want and at asking for help. Now, will you two forgive them?"
Another shared glance between the two, and then another half-hidden glance towards Mukuro, who was waiting for his judgment silently in a corner. This time, it was Lambo who answered. "If Pineapple-Head is sorry, then the great Lambo-san will forgive him. And Lambo-san will eat all the pancakes to show it!"
He then rushed to the dining room and started scarfing down the pancakes already placed there. I-pin hurried after him, scolding him about sharing the treats.
Mukuro had cringed lightly when Lambo baptized him with his new nickname, but didn't say anything back. Anyways, he already had unwanted pet-names from the silveret and the raven, he could tolerate another one from a child that meant no harm.
He exchanged a quick glance with a beaming Tsunayoshi before turning away to continue baking his pancakes. He wouldn't -couldn't- say 'sorry' or 'thank you', but it didn't matter. Apparently the Sky was good at reading him and expressing Mukuro's thoughts when he couldn't.