Another Path Part 17 : That grew larger with new roads
Completely forgot to thank all those who still sent comments and read my story last chapter. Panic makes me forget my manners. Sorry, and thank you to you all!
Honestly, I am not satisfied with this chapter, but I have promised one chapter a month, and have kept this one to rewrite it for too long already. So don't be surprised if it is not as good (or worse) than the others, I know, but I haven't managed to correct that or find out why.
Don't hesitate to send reviews (hint, hint), they definitely help me find inspiration and write faster. And if you have advice to improve my writing to avoid such lousy chapters, please share. I don't mind critics as long as they are constructive or at least not meant to hurt.
One last thing, I don't own KHR, I probably never will, so you can apply this to all future chapters and I won't write it anymore (or forget to write it...). I promise to inform you if a miracle happens and I somehow win the rights, but don't hold your breath.
While Lambo and I-pin were wolfing down as many pancakes as they could, Tsuna and Mukuro kept baking new ones. The bluenet had warned the other about Ken's bottomless stomach, so they had made a lot more dough to cook.
Minutes later and the other members of Caeruleus appeared one by one. First was Kyoya (Tsuna had sent a mild glare to Mukuro, clearly stating that he would have to wait before taunting the raven), who was not a morning person, and who just glared at the two cooking teens without a word, before making himself some tea, hesitating briefly, and finally decided that eating the delicious looking pancakes topped showing his dislike of the illusionist by refusing his food. And so, without having ever said a word, the raven took a plate, filled it with a copious amount of pancakes and headed to the dining room to eat besides the two kids.
Kyoya was always a delight when he just woke up...
Ken and Chikusa were the next visitors in the kitchen. Tsuna suspected they had waited for the other to rise before heading out as in 'numbers'. Judging from Mukuro's knowing smirk, he had the same opinion.
The two were wary of the food (although Ken was literally drolling at the smell) until their leader had mercy and admitted to helping cooking them. All suspicion disappeared at once and they jumped at the food, being unused to having so much available. Tsuna gently guided them towards the dining room, each of them had a full plate in their hands, and as such, completely willing to follow the brunet.
This time, Lambo and I-pin greeted the two newest members. They had quickly bounced back from yesterday's events (the two were both tough kids) and had been drilled for hours by Tsuna and Shoichi on proper manners (neither wanted them to end up as rude as Hayato or Kyoya, for all that they loved the two). Also, if their Tsuna-nii had told them that the newcomers were actually OK, that meant they were.
Chikusa and Ken looked mildly uncomfortable and unsure at the blatant display of trust, but the presence of warm and appetizing food was quick to make them relax.
Despite his rather large helping, Lambo had made short work of his first serving of pancakes and was eying Chikusa's -who was directly in front of him- but was still a bit too wary of the yoyo-wielder to ask a share (and too lazy to just return to the kitchen to get some more). The silent youth quickly noticed -he was used to Ken's hungry stares at his own food- and took the opportunity to extend a proper peace offering in the shape of three pancakes.
Needless to say that he was instantly among Lambo's favorite big brothers and earned the nickname of Chi-nii.
I-pin was fast to follow her friend's lead and the two children were soon questioning the teen on his life -and on his weird tattoo on his cheek, although I-pin had enough tact to stop inquiring after she noticed his discomfort, and smacked Lambo on the head when he was being too insistent.
Seeing that the two kids were friendly (and maybe taking pity on his comrade who was crumbling under well-meaning but overly curious questions), Ken decided to step in the conversation. Three minutes later, and he and Lambo were partaking in friendly teasing and competing over the new pancakes placed on the table by a beaming Tsuna and a bemused Mukuro, who couldn't remember seeing his companions so relaxed since they had left Lancia's Famiglia.
When Shoichi entered the dining room, he was met with the sight of Chikusa and I-pin chatting (how they communicated, between I-pin's fragmented Italian and Chikusa's few words, he had no idea), Ken engaged in a tickling fight with a laughing Lambo and Kyoya, sulking in a dark corner with a large cup of tea and an empty plate.
"They look like they have fitted in in no time at all..." Came the wry voice of Hayato behind him. From his bed-hair, the silveret had just woken up as well. "But where did these bastards get those pancakes?" He added after a hungry glance towards I-pin's half eaten share and the four other empty plates.
Following the mouth-watering smell led them to the kitchen, where they spotted the Pineapple-Head and Tsuna finishing the dough. Next to them were two towering piles of pancakes.
"Hayato, Shoichi!" Greeted the brunet. You'd think Christmas came early, what with the grin he had plastered on his face. "Mukuro helped me make pancakes! Come on, now that we're done, let's go eat with everyone!"
All three teens got swiped in the Sky's cheer, and found themselves in front of a warm plate of pancakes each, with an over-excited brunet offering them maple syrup or liquid chocolate. Hayato didn't have the time to send a jibe to the bluenet, and even when he attempted to throw one, a mere warning glance from his Tsuna-san was enough to shut him up.
Of course, the -relative- calm of the house couldn't last forever.
Once every stomach was full (which took longer than you'd expect, Ken had an appetite to rival Lambo's and he was taller...), and more importantly, once mouths were empty, conversations started.
"If it's like that every day, we're gonna stay here forever, byon!"
"Hey, you mutt, don't get too used to this! Tsuna-san won't cook for your ass everyday, you'll have to pull your weight from now on!" Screamed Hayato, always so quick to anger.
"Oya, no need to get so worked up." Mukuro stepped in with a devious smirk. "You don't have to be so defensive : your spot as number one lap dog is safe."
The silveret started sputtering incoherently, so Shoichi tried to calm everyone down. "Please, don't start fighting." He muttered so low it was a wonder the others heard him. "We should all try to get along if we are to live together..."
"We didn't all agree to that." Snorted Kyoya, who hadn't said a word since he woke up. "I didn't agree to house the Pineapple Herbivore and his two goons. I'd rather have bitten them all to death when they arrived and be done with this." He tilted his head menacingly. "I can still do it."
"Please, sit down Kyoya. And Mukuro, stop rilling Hayato up, you're both scaring the kids." Tsuna gestured at Lambo and I-pin who had gone very still once the shouting started and had leaned closer to Chikusa, who had remained silent and composed. At least this relationship seemed to be steady. "If we are to live together, as Shoichi said, we're going to need to find a way to communicate without being at each others' throats constantly."
"I don't see how it's going to work." Sneered Hayato. "Those three are obviously not thankful enough of the risk we're putting ourselves under. They are targeted by the bloody Vindice for fuck's sake!"
"And I won't tolerate disrespectful Herbivores in my turf." Added Kyoya with a bloodthirsty glare. The threatening aura he gave off wasn't even dented by Hibird's cries of 'Bite to death! Bite to death!' on his head.
"Maybe I'll have to show you who's the new alpha, then, little Birdie, and Lap Dog." Taunted Mukuro, materializing his trident, while Ken got in a fighting stance. The raven pulled out his tonfas and Hayato his dynamite sticks in response. "Or if you're too thick headed to understand that, perhaps I should just end you both. I would be doing this place a favor by ridding it of..."
The illusionist never got to finish his threat, as a powerful -and irate- wave of Sky Flames flooded the room. They weren't meant to harm, but were imposing enough to shut everyone up and have them turn to stare -with various degrees of fear- to the silently fuming brunet at the end of the table.
"Since you can't seem to be in the same room without throwing death threats at each others, I guess it's time we do a proper visit of the house. That way, you can try and kill each other in the training room without destroying the rest of the building in the process and harming those of us who don't want to take part in you little pissing contest." He said in the most chilly voice the others had ever heard from him. The fact that his eyes were burning orange with cold, repressed Sky Flames and that the usually polite brunet used crude language didn't help the shivers wracking their spines either.
"Now, if you people would please follow me and try not to brutally murder each other for a few minutes."
Properly cowed by the suddenly terrifying boy, the trigger-happy members of Caeruleus followed in silence as Tsuna went to the back of the shop (Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had already been introduced to the 'Office', the kitchen, and obviously the dining room), while Chikusa and Shoichi followed, with I-pin and Lambo in their respective arms. The Sky showed once again where the two bathrooms and the newcomers' rooms were located, and enjoined them to decorate and furnish as they wanted. He also told them they were free to grow whatever they wanted in the small garden that wasn't currently anyone's territory, and that the private living room was only for when Caeruleus was closed, or else they had to be someone in the Office to welcome customers.
He then detailed which of the remaining rooms belonged to who. While indicating Lambo and I-pin's room, he made a mental note to have more bedrooms built (and another bathroom) in the future. With the rate at which they collected members, they would need some, and he wanted I-pin to have her own room for when she grows up without having to share. He carefully explained that the three new members were welcomed to come into Tsuna's or Shoichi's rooms if the had something to ask, but shouldn't go visit the others.
Then he led his little group of tourists to the basement.
While Mukuro and Ken were ecstatic to see the training rooms and learn that those had been reinforced to resist most damage, the three outlaws were much more wary of the labs.
"We don't conduct any human experimentation there, I can promise you that." Said Tsuna in a much more soothing tone that he had used a minute ago. All his anger had faded at the reminder of what he had seen in Mukuro's memories. "They are mostly used for tests on Flames, and we always make sure that no-one gets hurt. But Shoichi and Hayato could probably explain this to you better than me. The labs are their lair after all." He turned to the red-head, as he wasn't too sure the bomber would remain calm speaking to Mukuro.
"Oh, yes, yes!" Sputtered Shoichi, who hadn't expected to be given the spotlight so suddenly. "We're trying to understand how Flames work better, and how to improve their effectiveness. In fact, we would love to check your Flames, Mukuro, as we don't have any Mists, and you two are also welcome to participate. But only if you want to of course!" He suddenly waved his hands in front of him, having only just remembers what Tsuna had said about their pasts when he saw them cringe at the idea. "We won't force you if you don't want to!"
"But we can also help if you want to train with your Flames or get a better control of them." Intervened Tsuna, before the inventor could embarrass himself further. "By the way, do you all know your Flame type, and do you have secondary Flames?" He saw Kyoya regain interest in the discussion at once, always eager for anything fight related. Besides him, Hayato had turned to his 'scholar mode'.
Mukuro seemed to hesitate for a second before answering. "As you have seen, I have Mist Flames, and no secondary type."
Following his lead, Chikusa added. "I have Rain Flames, and Ken has Sun." He diligently ignored Ken's screams of outrage at the reveal of his own abilities. "But Ken and I can't use them very effectively in a fight."
"We can help, if you want." Offered Tsuna, choosing not to turn to see the hungry gleam he knew would be in Shoichi's and Hayato's eyes. A Mist and a Rain that was the main type, their research could advance by leaps and bounds if the two decided to participate. "We all have active Flames here, and are all able to use them to a degree."
"Lambo-san has the best Flames of them all!" Squealed the child who had left Shoichi's arms a while ago. "They are all sparkly and a pretty green!"
"You have Lightning Flames?" Inquired Mukuro. He had thought that the child's use of them during their first encounter had been subconscious, as is often the case in matters of life an death. He hadn't expected the boy to be able to channel them on purpose.
"Yep! Look at the Great Lambo-san!" Screamed the cow-child before closing his eyes and focusing with a frown. Soon after that, tendrils of green lightning erupted from his body, and the others took a step back. Thankfully, I-pin -who was used to such displays- got the presence of mind to kick her friend with a Storm-coated foot.
"Lambo bad. Must not use Flames so close to people!"
The three newcomers were admittedly startled by the situation, but Tsuna just chuckled. "Don't worry, those two are always like that and don't really hurt each other. As you've seen, Lambo has Lightning Flames, and I-pin had Storm. I've got Sky -but you already knew that. No secondary type. Shoichi has only Sun, and Kyoya only Cloud. Hayato is the only one with secondary Flames. His main is Storm, but he also has Cloud, Sun, Rain and Lightning as well. You're the first Mist we've ever encountered, and the first main Rain -as Hayato has trouble summoning his Rain for extended periods- which explains Shoichi's bout of over-enthusiasm."
"I saw enough of your memories to see you train by yourselves, but I still can't quite get my head around the fact that you have all managed to awaken your Flames. Even five-year-olds..." Muttered Mukuro, still a bit too surprised to keep his usual mask of amused disinterest.
"So you could help us with ours, byon?" Asked Ken wishfully. It should be near impossible to train yourself to the point where your Flames are usable if you have no mentor. Mukuro had been an exception thanks to his paths of reincarnation, but Ken and Chikusa had all but let go of the hope that they would ever master their Sun and Rain Flames.
"Of course! And since Fon visited a while ago, we now even have actual methods of teaching, not just trial and error and Intuition!" Smiled Tsuna, glad to have found a subject that could get all the members of Caeruleus to work together. Even if it was just in the hopes of a better fight afterwards...
()()()()()()
Unsurprisingly, while Chikusa and Ken were immediately working with Shoichi and Hayato respectively to develop their Flames (since it is usually easier to learn with one who has the same Flame type), Mukuro and Kyoya were back to trying to maim each other in the biggest training room. Tsuna was overseeing them to make sure they didn't go too far and the two kids were playing tag all over the house. The company had been closed for a few days to give them all some time to know each other better, and maybe bond a little.
That would also allow the senior members time to assess the strength and weaknesses of the new recruits. There was a lot to check : their ability to cook, to clean, to work with others, what kind of odd jobs they could do on their own from the start, which ones to walk them through, and which ones to make sure they never do at all (for instance, Tsuna would never make them do anything related to experimentation).
Their academical level would also have to be checked. While none of the members went to school (the hours were not compatible with their work, and they wanted to be as untraceable as possible), they all made sure to study in their free time, and went to end-of-the-year exams in a nearby school pretending to be home-schooled. They helped each other stay at the appropriate level for their age, or higher, and they tutored the two youngest.
They had hesitated enrolling Lambo and I-pin at first, but it soon became obvious that the two would have a hard time fitting in with other children their age. They were too mature and had seen too much to blend in with carefree five-year-olds. Not that the others could talk; Tsuna, Shoichi and Hayato were 11, Kyoya and Mukuro were 13, Chikusa and Ken 12. Thankfully, their maturity and behavior (and aura of ruthlessness and blood-thirst for some) made them appear older than they were. Enough to be able to tell adults that they had grown-up guardians looking after them and allowing them to work. It was not really legal, but the papers they had faked, their obvious well-being and their flawless jobs were enough to convince most customers not to report them. Kyoya made sure to 'talk' with the few reluctant ones...
So the three outlaws had to have their knowledge tested, brought to level if needed, then furthered. Tsuna also wanted them to learn Japanese. It was the mother tongue of three of them and they were already helping the others master it. I-pin, Lambo and Hayato had bases, but they were not fluent yet, so they could just add the three newcomers to their lessons.
A resounding crash interrupted Tsuna's musings. Taking a cautious step forward to see what it was about, he witnessed Mukuro's form, embed in the wall. The reinforced wall.
Kyoya must have been more heavy handed than usual.
Stepping forward to pull the bluenet out of the Mukuro-shaped hole in the wall (and to make sure that Kyoya wouldn't keep hitting the other), Tsuna checked him for injuries. Contrary to appearances, the illusionist was pretty tough and only had some bruises.
The tonfa-wielding raven was sporting a very satisfied smirk. He was seemingly somewhat appeased after the beating he inflicted, so Tsuna could only hope that it would reduce the animosity he felt towards the bluenet. Despite what people believed in Namimori, Kyoya didn't really bother keeping a grudge; he made sure you paid for what you did, but once the punishment had been dealt, he wouldn't go out of his way to bite you to death again. Unless it was personal.
And indeed, the raven put away his weapons with little prompting, before turning around and exiting the room, his little smirk still fixed on his face.
"Your attack dog is a real piece of work, Tsunayoshi." Huffed Mukuro once he caught his breath.
"Don't call him that." Chided the brunet. "And you're one to talk, Mukuro. But Kyoya will probably not give you too much trouble from now on. He asserted your strength and 'punished' you appropriately for your actions; he doesn't have any more grudges against you now. So please don't rile him up too much."
"I somehow doubt that he won't attack me anymore after defeating me once."
"Oh, he will attack you again, but Kyoya does that to everyone. It's his way of keeping those close to him safe. He even trained I-pin and Lambo so that they could protect themselves long enough for us to arrive, you saw that yourself." Tsuna gave a small smile at the Mist when he averted his eyes slightly. "Attacking people is Kyoya's way of training them and keeping their senses sharp. We all spar with Kyoya at least once a week -even Shoichi- and he adapts his strength. He's a rather good teacher in his own way. And it allows him to indulge in his love of fighting and violent tendencies..." He added as an afterthought.
"I have a feeling that last part is the most important one." Mocked Mukuro.
"You will see soon enough if that's really the case." Tsuna gave a small laugh. "Kyoya's not a very complicated person, but you have to grasp how he views the world. For him, there are only three kinds of people : those that he cares about, those he wants to utterly destroy -or bite to death, as he would say-, and the rest. That way of seeing things is actually rather close to yours. And in all those categories, you have to distinguish the Carnivores and the Herbivores. In short, the strong and the weak, either due to their strength of character, their influence or their ability to fight.
You're a Carnivore, although he will probably call you a Herbivore for a while because he doesn't like you yet. He wouldn't have fought you so hard if he thought you weak, he knows to hold back depending on the strength of his opponent. Ken and Chikusa are Herbivores due to the way they follow you, it's not an insult, just the way he sees things. The same way Hayato is a Herbivore because he acts as my subordinate. Shoichi is too weak in a fight to qualify as a Carnivore, as are Lambo and I-pin, although that's because of their age. I think I-pin especially is well on her way to becoming a baby Carnivore." Explained Tsuna fondly.
"And what about you?"
"I'm an Omnivore. Powerful, and strong willed, but to soft-hearted to go all the way. You saw how I reacted to Ienobu's murder attempts, well Kyoya disapproves. He would have replied by trying to kill him if he could have. An eye for an eye. Or rather two eyes and a tongue for an eye."
"I can somehow agree with the Birdie about that. You let your twin get away with too much with no consequences."
Tsuna gave a sigh. "I guess that nickname is OK, just don't do worse, please. About Nobu, I don't know how much you saw in my memories, but he was pretty much untouchable. I couldn't do anything to him because it would have exploded in my face, and Kyoya could only get away with his beatings because everyone feared him in Namimori. Anything more and Iemitsu would have been informed, which we couldn't risk."
"Still, you could have made him pay without anyone finding out that it was you." Argued the bluenet.
"With Vongola's resources? I don't think so. But it's nice to know you have so much in common with Kyoya. You two have the exact same opinion about this." Laughed Tsuna, before running out of the training room to avoid the playful wrath of an irate illusionist. Apparently, Mukuro didn't appreciate being compared to the temperamental Cloud...
()()()()()()
It turned out that Lancia's Famiglia had started the education of the three outlaws. They were not yet up to the level of regular 12 and 13-year-olds, but the gap was not as large as Tsuna had feared. And Mukuro and his friends also had plenty of practical knowledge to supplement their limited schooling.
However the best discovery was Ken's affinity with animals. They had lost count of how many jobs Caeruleus received about lost pets, walking dogs and taking care of cats while the owners were away. The problem was that most creatures were afraid of Kyoya (much to his hidden chagrin; Kyoya loved animals, especially small ones like Hibird), Shoichi was scared of anything larger than a chihuahua, Hayato had no clue how to deal with an animal (the logical approach never worked, as cats never replied when he asked if they were hungry...), and Lambo and I-pin were too young to be left alone, or with potentially wild animals.
So Tsuna had been doing all those jobs alone so far, plus all his other duties and contracts. That's why Ken's ability to find, keep, and care for animals was a god-sent.
The three newcomers were also surprisingly competent with children. Apart from spending a lot of time playing with Lambo and I-pin, they were also very appreciated for the few babysitting offers they received. Which lightened Shoichi's and Tsuna's load even more.
Kyoya quickly started weekly spars with all three of them, which cemented their belonging in Caeruleus. The raven also fought with Mukuro on an almost daily basis. Strangely enough, they both were completely fine with smashing and hacking at each other. Tsuna grumbled about 'fighting addicts' every time he caught one of the Suns treating their wounds. At least Shoichi and Ken had plenty of practice in healing...
Hayato was just as quick to snap at them as with the rest, so the others believed that it meant he had accepted the three outlaws. After all, the only ones he really acted different with was Tsuna, whom he saw as his Boss of sorts, and Shoichi, who was his lab-partner. The fact that he finally had a Mist and a main Rain also helped the integration of the three. The silveret and Shoichi could finally experiment on all seven types of Flames, and see how they interacted. The both of them were like kids in a candy shop when they stepped in the lab, and the three newcomers had quickly calmed down around the labs when they realized that the most invasive tests wouldn't go beyond blood sampling.
They had also started including Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa in their Japanese lessons. Lambo was delighted to flaunt his Japanese to the newcomers. I-pin's shaky Italian also improved under Chikusa's guidance, which quite frankly baffled the others. The Rain was one of the less talkative individuals they had ever seen, and that included Kyoya and Shoichi! So how was he sharing his knowledge of Italian? Hayato suspected that he was secretly some kind of UMA.
But as delightful as those days were, they couldn't last forever.