Another Path Part 26 : That saved a horse from doom
An other chapter within the following month! I guess it's Christmas magic (that, or me trying desperately to have an excuse to avoid family reunions. Those things are awkward as Hell).
Anyway, nobody guessed this chapter's character. He came a bit out of nowhere, so that's understandable. I wanted to have him appear before the next big 'arc', which starts next chapter, and I needed to tie a few loose ends before that, so this chapter is a bit more jerky than I hoped.
Merry belated Christmas and an early happy new year to all you wonderful readers, especially to those whose comments fuel my motivation to write!
The young man who entered Caeruleus a few weeks after Verde settled in had Tsuna's Intuition ringing warning bells as soon as he saw him.
It wasn't that the stranger looked threatening, in fact, he seemed pretty friendly with his easy-going smile and slightly awkward behavior. But there was something about him that told Tsuna to be cautious; or rather not about the young man himself, but about something tied to him.
The brunet tried to figure out what the problem was while he prepared drinks. It was the shop's policy to offer a seat and refreshments to customers, especially new ones, before talking business, and it had the added advantage of giving Tsuna or whoever was in charge time to observe the potential new client.
He was a blond young man, probably barely out of his teenage years. His clothes were rather casual, and an elaborate tattoo peaked out of one sleeve and the collar of his T-shirt. He smiled amiably to Tsuna and to I-pin and Shoichi when they caught his gaze, but there was a hint of nerves in the way he kept fidgeting with his hands. More worrying was the suit-clad older man that had accompanied him and was standing at attention behind the couch. Tsuna had been trained by Kyoya long enough to spot the outline of a gun through his vest (although he still had no idea where the Cloud stored his beloved tonfas. The most popular theory among his friends was a pocket dimension, but Hayato's suggestion that UMAs were involved had some merit).
Probably Mafia, then, and the blond young man had to be pretty high in the hierarchy to be allowed to wander around in a casual getup and with a bodyguard. The son of a major individual in a Famiglia perhaps? Anyway, that meant caution.
While he was still in the kitchen, Tsuna sent a short message to Ken, Chikusa, Mukuro, Byakuran and Verde to stay out of sight, and a text to Hayato asking him to also keep Lambo – who had accompanied him on a job today – out until he gave the all clear. No need to risk the blond young man recognizing any of them before he assessed the situation more clearly.
With a tray holding a glass of apple juice for the stranger, some water for his bodyguard (the man had turned his offer of a drink down, but Tsuna had manners, thank you very much, and he had to practice them or risk losing them and end up like most of his beloved but often rude friends) and some soda for himself in hand (experience had shown him that people were more comfortable if you drank something with them), Tsuna returned to the office, distributed the drinks and said the customary welcome and short exposition of Caeruleus. The blond listened intently before speaking up.
"Well, you can call me Bucephalus." He introduced himself with a nervous voice and slid a twitchy hand through his hair . It was so obviously a fake name that Tsuna had to force his face not to contort into a dubious expression or spout a disparaging comment. He fully blamed Mukuro's bad influence. "You see, I used to have a tutor, not so long ago. A demon from Hell – you would not imagine how much of a slave-driver he was, not to mention the punishments." He shivered in remembered dread. "A-Anyway, he was very good at his job, questionable methods aside, and he taught me several languages, like English, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish or Japanese.
In fact, Japanese was one of his favorites, probably because of their cosplay culture. He loved dressing up in all kinds of weird outfits to freak me out.
It's been almost half a year since he deemed my training complete and left his job as my tutor. I haven't seen him face to face since, although we stayed in contact." At that point, his eyes that had been jumping all around the room settled on Tsuna, and the brunet could easily see the fear inside them.
"A couple days ago, he called to say he would visit in two weeks. To catch up and see how much of his lessons I still know. The problem is that, while I've had occasions to practice all the other languages, I had none to speak Japanese, and Re- my tutor is going to drag me through Hell again if he thinks I've lost some of it.
I've talked with a friend about my quandary. That idiot of a shark laughed at me for a good five minutes before giving me the address to your company. Apparently, you have done business with Va- uhm, his company before and he thought you could help me. I desperately need some remedial lessons before Reb- before my former tutor arrives, and it has to be discreet enough that he won't figure it out." He pleaded.
So Squalo was promoting Caeruleus (it could be no-one else; a 'shark' that had ties in the Mafia and had done business with them before was not a common description). Tsuna would have to thank him later.
After all, there should be no reason to turn down the job. This 'Bucephalus' looked friendly and was not asking for anything remotely criminal. He had even done a – rather pathetic, but no less heartfelt – effort to hide the fact he was a Mafioso. Besides, he trusted Squalo not to have sent a potential threat to them. And teaching Japanese was easily in their skill set.
"I see." Nodded the brunet with an understanding smile. Whoever he was, the young man was evidently terrified of the displeasure of his former tutor. "I think I have a solution for you. You see, some of our members are currently learning Japanese as well – several of us come from Japan, and it is nice to be able to communicate with everybody in our mother tongue every once in a while. Why don't you come participate in those sessions? The other students are quite young, but they are already conversational in Japanese. That way, you will have multiple people to practice speaking with, and the lessons should be less awkward than one-on-one sessions, don't you think?"
The blond's face lit up like Tsuna had just announced that Christmas was coming twelve times this year. Just how scared was he of his tutor exactly? "That would be perfect! I still remember the basics, but I'm rusty when it comes to actual conversation. When are you having those lessons?"
"Every day around 7pm. They usually last around an hour. Can I assume you will be present for all of them for the next two weeks?"
"Absolutely." 'Bucephalus' nodded emphatically. "The more practice, the better. I will pay for your help, of course. What are your usual rates?"
The details of the contract were quickly settled, the blond was not very finicky as long as he had his lessons and there was a confidentiality clause. In fact, he even insisted on paying them more than the price Tsuna had given at first.
'Bucephalus' and his bodyguard (Romario, if what the blond had called him was his real name, which Tsuna believed to be the case, given the unthinking way 'Bucephalus' had said it) left soon enough, with a promise to come back later for the first lesson. Tsuna was left wondering just how terrifying the young man's tutor had to be to elicit so much dread.
()()()()()()
Tsuna had given instructions to everyone not to reveal that they knew 'Bucephalus' was Mafia, or that this was not his actual name. No need to risk alienating or spooking the young man by telling him that they had seen through his 'disguise'. He had also offered for Chikusa, Mukuro and Ken to skip the Japanese lessons for the next two weeks, since their faces were rather recognizable, but they had waved him off and told him that they would attend, only under one of the Mist's illusions to change their features. I-pin, Lambo and Spanner (who knew Japanese, but only on an academical level and had progress to make to be fluent) would of course be there as well. Hayato was not comfortable staying under illusions, so he opted out of the lessons for the next two weeks (after much apologizing and groveling at Tsuna to earn his already given forgiveness).
Kyoya would be off somewhere, since he was not the best person to have conversations with, no matter the language, and Byakuran had not given sign of life since his last text asking for a physical description of the blond stranger. Tsuna had the feeling the older Sky knew who 'Bucephalus' really was, but he decided not to ask; it was none of his business.
Verde would of course remain in his lab underground, more often than not with Hayato, leaving Tsuna with Shoichi to oversee the lessons as fluent Japanese speakers.
'Bucephalus' always arrived five minutes early, driven there in a black expensive-looking car with darkened windows with his bodyguard. The driver wished his 'Boss' to do well, which prompted Tsuna to reassess the blond's place in the hierarchy. He also had to refrain from face-palming with how obvious those men were about their origins. Did none of them know how to blend in correctly with civilians?
(He willfully prevented himself from thinking about how much he and his friends also stood out among average civilians. Yes, it was highly hypocritical, but he needed to keep his delusions of normality for the sake of his remaining sanity.)
The lessons themselves went very well. 'Bucephalus' had an easy conversation, and didn't mind that he was speaking with actual kids. Lambo especially seemed happy to have another older figure to brag to. Luckily, the young man seemed to find his attitude endearing rather than obnoxious, unlike most people, and patiently listened to the young Lightning's babble, before offering a reply in – an at first stilted, then more and more fluent – Japanese.
Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken stayed a bit more distant, but played along for the sake of the lessons. The Mist's illusions worked flawlessly, and 'Bucephalus' never saw through them. Spanner and I-pin preferred to listen rather than talk, but they never hesitated to reply once prompted.
Shoichi and Tsuna were mostly there to correct mistakes and to offer vocabulary when needed. They would also speak with their 'students' every once in a while, but since they talked well enough on their own, the Sky and the Sun used their time to catch up on their paperwork and school work while keeping an ear on the conversation.
They had had to forcefully steer the conversation away from dangerous topics a few times. 'Bucephalus' had asked about their origins and wondered aloud how such a motley group of children ended up opening a shop in Italy while some of them were obviously foreigners, but Shoichi had skillfully managed to push the talk towards 'Bucephalus' ' own childhood, which had put a close to the topic. The blond didn't seem any more inclined to talk about his origins to young civilians than they were to share their past.
Lambo had begun talking about his birth family on several occasions. Since all he had to say about them was pretty bad and the others systematically changed the topic as soon as they could, 'Bucephalus' had quickly understood that the afro-haired boy's previous home life had been neglectful or abusive and had joined them in steering Lambo away from talks of his earliest years. The little Lightning was always eager to brag about his latest 'prowess', so he most likely didn't catch on. Thankfully the name 'Bovino' had never come up.
I-pin honestly didn't like taking about herself, so her stories revolved about her master (which she never called by name) and her adopted family. The others had enough awareness and self-control to edit or downright reinvent their past.
(Tsuna would always wonder where Mukuro came up with his cover story. The son of a famous Bulgarian circus magician and the Indian heiress of a large conglomerate specializing in flower engineering – whatever that was supposed to be – that had to be separated from his parents because their respective families didn't approve and wanted to kill him to inherit secret magic tricks and/or his fortune? Really? Not to mention the ridiculous tale of how he ended up with Caeruleus. 'Bucephalus' obviously bought it all, and Mukuro was having a blast imagining the most absurd stories for his gullible audience, though, so he stayed quiet.)
()()()()()()
Eight days into 'Bucephalus' lessons, Caeruleus received an unexpected, but nonetheless welcome guest in the morning.
"Master!" Cried out I-pin as soon as she spotted Fon's diminutive figure in the doorway. She rushed to hug the Storm Arcobaleno, who returned the embrace.
"It's good to see you I-pin." Greeted the false baby with a serene smile. "As it is to see or meet the rest of you." He addressed the other children in the room. "I see you numbers have grown since the last time I visited." He noticed with slightly narrowed eyes, his smile nowhere to be found.
Tsuna fidgeted uncomfortably. The last time Fon had managed to visit them in person, Byakuran, Mukuro, Chikusa, Ken and Spanner were not yet members, and Tsuna had neglected to inform the Arcobaleno of their arrival during his few phone calls. The thought had honestly eluded him in Byakuran and Spanner's case. He had, however, purposefully avoided any mention of the three former outlaws; he knew for a fact that they were no threat to I-pin and the rest of them, but he had not been sure he could convince Fon of that while the warrant against the three had still been up. He couldn't have put Mukuro and his friends at risk like that, so he had stayed silent.
Now that they were no longer wanted, he supposed he had no reason to keep secrets. "Ah, I might have forgotten to inform you of that." He laughed sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "We have five more people now; six if you consider Verde, who is still in the labs but seems to have decided to live here despite not working for the company. I hope it's not a problem."
Fon looked at him shrewdly for long seconds, before his lips stretched into his peaceful smile again. "I can imagine you were busy with other matters. It's fine, Tsunayoshi." He looked straight into the brunet's eyes, and the threatening glint in his own had the boy shiver. Rarely was it so obvious that Fon and Kyoya were related. "But please take the time to inform me the next time someone else becomes part of my ward's life."
Tsuna could only nod emphatically. The warning had been duly received, he would keep the Storm Arcobaleno up to date in the future.
"Good." Nodded Fon. He turned to look at I-pin again. "Now, what have you been up to since I last saw you?"
The master and his student spent the time before lunch with the latter telling the former various stories about the past months at Caeruleus. Fon listened intently to everything the little girl had to say with his serene smile. When it came time to eat, the Storm Arcobaleno joined them around the table, and gave a nod of greeting to a surprised Verde when the scientist came out for nourishment. The green-haired baby narrowed his eyes in suspicion at seeing his colleague, but mutely nodded back The food had been made by Chikusa and Kyoya (after Spanner and Verde, it was decided that two people would cook each meal from now on, due to the amount of mouths to feed) and was devoured in slightly awkward silence. Everybody was present, which did nothing to smooth the unease.
After lunch, Verde wasted no time returning to the labs, with Shoichi, Spanner, Byakuran and Hayato in tow. Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro had never met Fon before, didn't enjoy being around someone still in the Mafia – or Triads in his case – so they pleaded a job to do and left. Tsuna knew for a fact there was nothing urgent going on, but left them their excuse. The Storm Arcobaleno let his student play with Lambo in the backyard, leaving him alone with the brunet Sky and Kyoya, who was loitering behind Tsuna, probably having sensed that his uncle had serious business to address.
"Had I-pin said anything bad about the people living here, or had I had any doubts about the affection you have for her, I would have taken her back immediately, Kyoya, Tsunayoshi." Started the baby in a serious tone. The two guilty boys stayed silent. "I do not appreciate my pupil being endangered, and I appreciate even less the information being kept from me."
He sighed before moving on. "That being said, I-pin only had good things to say about you all and the way they treat her – past the sometimes hectic way they met, of course – so I will allow her to stay, since that is what she clearly wants. Although I would like a more detailed account of all that transpired since I last visited."
Tsuna didn't have to be told twice, and started a recount of all the major events that occurred since he met Fon. Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken, the Vindice, Byakuran barging in, the jobs with the Varia, the science exhibit. He didn't keep anything from Fon in fear that the man in a baby's body would find out and take I-pin away. The girl was like a little sister to him (and all the members of Caeruleus, although some might argue) and he didn't want to be parted from her.
At each new adventure, Fon frowned a little, but allowed Tsuna to keep talking. He was shocked to her about the Mist Arcobaleno working for Varia under the name 'Mammon' (he apparently knew her as 'Viper'), but given her description, which he asked of Tsuna, it could only be her. The Sky ended with how Verde had decided to lodge here rather than at his base.
Fon looked thoroughly displeased underneath his calm exterior. "I have difficulty imagining how you can encounter so much trouble in so short a time without actively looking for it." He sighed. "But I have to admit you handled it satisfactorily for the most part. I don't approve of some of your choices, though. Taking in criminals wanted by Vindice, facing Vindice afterwards, accepting a contract from the Varia on their own turf and butting heads with Xanxus are hardly good decisions, Tsunayoshi."
It was Tsuna's turn to frown angrily. "Chikusa, Mukuro and Ken were basically innocent, sir." He argued. "I couldn't let them be, and I couldn't hand them over to Vindice either, that wouldn't have been right! As for the Varia, well, it was a job like any other, and Xanxus is not that bad as to attack civilian children. He's more reasonable than people give him credit for."
Behind him, as he talked, Kyoya shook his head in long-suffering fondness. He knew better than to try and make the brunet change his mind when he was so set on something. Fon, on the other hand, raised a surprised eyebrow. The baby looked contemplatively at the younger boy before heaving yet another sigh. It seemed uncharacteristic of the Storm to sigh so much, but Tsuna assumed that the situation warranted it. All the shenanigans he and his friends were involved in certainly justified a few exhales.
"I forgot that you were such a powerful Sky. Of course you'd have to be to snatch Kyoya." He shook his head bemusedly, while Tsuna and Kyoya both stiffened at his choice of words.
"'Snatch'?" Growled the raven and the brunet at the same time. That sounded as though the Cloud was a mere object that Tsuna had picked off the floor, and they were both offended by that overtone.
Fon just smiled guilelessly. "My apologies, that was not the best term to use. I should have said 'harmonize', referring to the bond between a Sky and his six elements." The passive anger had totally disappeared from his face, replaced by clear amusement, leaving Tsuna a bit wrong-footed. "I assume by now you are familiar enough with your Sky Flames to be able to trace your bonds?" He inquired.
The brunet looked at him dumbly."Uh, I guess?" He chanced a glance at Kyoya, but the Cloud was still fuming about being called 'snatched' and was of no help whatsoever. "I never consciously tried to do it, though. I just feel them clearly from time to time."
"Would you mind giving it a try, then? And share the results with us? You simply have to concentrate on the feel of your Flames."
As an answer, Tsuna closed his eyes and focused on the bond between him and his friends. It took him a few moments, but they eventually appeared behind his eyelids as flickering lights of various colors.
There was Kyoya's purple Flame with almost silver edges, coiled, but ready to spring at any threat, next to Shoichi's bright though timid pale yellow fire. Hayato's scarlet blaze, with multicolored sparks that danced to an unheard rhythm. Lambo's crackling and lively emerald tendrils of electricity and I-pin's beautiful light red, almost pink plumes of fire playing with one another. The deep crimson, calm and patient Flame had to be Fon. Mukuro's swirling indigo wisps circled around what must be Chikusa's soothing pale blue water-like Flame and Ken's rambunctious marigold sparks.
There were two more green Flames. Olive electricity that poked curiously at the other fires for Spanner. The other was lime green lightning that moved purposefully in its secluded corner, and it took Tsuna longer than he would have admitted to realize it was Verde's tentative bond. He had not expected to connect with the scientist that had threatened his way in, let alone so soon.
What really surprised him, though, were the two orange Flames. One was mischievous, twirling around the others and giving off a feeling of eternal amusement. The other burnt furiously, far from the other flickers, but was trailed closely by five smaller flames; blue, indigo, yellow, red and green.
Flabbergasted, Tsuna opened his eyes and met Kyoya's curious look and Fon's knowing one. "Is it normal for Skies to bond with other Skies?" He asked the Arcobaleno, who knew the most about Flames.
Fon's lips stretched farther, in what was probably a grin. "No, it is not. Nor is it normal to bond with another Flame user in less than half a year. The shortest recorded time is currently of a little over four months, not a couple hours. There are rumors and theories that Sky harmony or almost instantaneous bonding are possible, but most people dismiss them as fairy tales. However, given the way you reacted when I badmouthed the leader of Varia, and your unrelenting defense of who used to be three wanted and dangerous criminals, I assumed that you bonded with the first despite his element, and harmonized with at least one of the three latter in a matter of hours. Otherwise, you would have prioritized the safety of those you had already bonded with, instead of the lives of virtual strangers.
Skies are notoriously protective and possessive of their elements, and the way you staunchly defended Xanxus, Rokudo, Joshima and Kakimoto despite their reputation was characteristic of a Sky defending his own."
Kyoya snorted when Fon got to the possessive part, and Tsuna shot him a glare but said nothing. It wasn't like he could refute the Arcobaleno's allegations; of all his friends, the Cloud had known him the longest and was the most aware of how far the brunet would go if his friends were on the line.
"But you haven't answered my original query." Reminded Fon. "What did you see exactly?"
"I have bonds with everyone in this house, plus Xanxus." Replied Tsuna. "And there were Flames that were probably his Guardians, although I don't think I had a bond with them, not directly, at least."
The Storm Arcobaleno looked at him with eyes wide open. "Everyone in this house?" He repeated, shocked. "Doesn't that mean you have bonds with several people sharing the same Flame type?" From the tone of his voice, he was having difficulties processing all that.
"I do." Replied the brunet easily. "But didn't you know that already? I mean, by the last time you left, I had a bond with you, I-pin and Hayato, and you're all Storms." Fon looked to be in a state of shock and unable to reply, so he kept talking. "I also have a Cloud bond with Kyoya, a Mist bond with Mukuro, a Sun bond with Shoichi and Ken, and Rain bond with Chikusa, a Lightning bond with Lambo, Spanner and Verde – no idea how it formed so quickly – and a Sky bond with Xanxus and Byakuran, somehow." If anything, Fon seemed even more at a loss for words. "Is it a problem?" Inquired Tsuna worriedly.
Kyoya also started to look concerned when his uncle obviously had trouble formulating an answer. "I- I never expected to bond with someone after Luce – my former Sky – betrayed me and the other Arcobaleno." Eventually replied Fon. "But you're right, there is a bond, and I can't believe I haven't noticed it before. Probably because it was created so quickly and unconsciously. You didn't willingly form a bond did you." Tsuna shook his head negatively. "Of course you didn't. I would have felt it otherwise."
The Arcobaleno visibly gathered his wits. "It's not normal to have so many bonds, Tsunayoshi, let alone with too many powerhouses. And I'm not only speaking of Verde and I; Kyoya has a high amount of Flames, as does Rokudo, and I wouldn't be surprised if others in your group as well. But if it doesn't affect you negatively, then I suppose there's no harm to having so many bonds, no matter how strange it is, or being bonded with two other Skies. I would advise you to let Verde check you, though, just in case, and allow him to assess your health and the state of your Flames regularly.
In fact, I will inform him of those findings immediately." Stated the shaken Storm. "I will also warn him to keep his enthusiasm and experiments at acceptable levels. If you'll excuse me."
The fake baby left without waiting for a reply, and the two boys left him. They had never seen steady, calm, 'Eye of the Storm' Fon so upset. Kyoya and Tsuna exchanged a worried glance, but neither had any explanation for the infant's behavior, apart from the knowledge that it was linked to being bonded with a Sky...
()()()()()()
Fon left soon after, leaving Tsuna to the curiosity of Verde. The scientist looked just as unbalanced as the martial artist had been, but covered it with inquiries and tests about the young Sky's peculiar ability. Tsuna felt uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but if it helped the baby feel better, he would endure. And Fon had been right, if his Flames were so strange, it would be for the best to monitor his health and general condition.
When 'Bucephalus' arrived for his Japanese remedial lessons, he quickly realized that something was amiss with his 'teacher', but Tsuna and his friends were tight-lipped and changed the subject each time the blond touched on it.
The young man caught on their unwillingness to share and mercifully avoided the topic after a few failed attempts, easily striking a conversation with Lambo about the best kind of sweets. Tsuna was immensely thankful for his thoughtfulness, and the lesson ended in the cheerful atmosphere that had ruled their meetings so far.
()()()()()()
Eventually, the two weeks came to an end and 'Bucephalus'' lessons were over.
"Thank you, thank you all so much!" Babbled the blond, tears of gratitude flowing freely down his cheeks. "You have no idea what you saved me from. Reb- I mean, my tutor would have had my head on a platter had you not helped me. You're such nice kids, you can call me oni-san!"
He spread his arms to gather the children in his arms as he wept. Thankfully, only those that had assisted these sessions were present, and Chikusa, Mukuro and Ken – all still under an illusion – were far enough away that they avoided the hug. Lambo, I-pin, Spanner, Shoichi and Tsuna were not as lucky, but then again, they were less likely to react violently.
"If you ever need anything, and I mean anything at all, you can call me." Promised the young man. "Especially if you ever have trouble with- let's call them the wrong crowd. If you need help with them, don't hesitate to call me. You don't understand it, but I really owe you my life!"
Tsuna really hoped that this was an exaggeration. What kind of tutor elicited such a dread in their student that they thought their life was on the line for not being fluent in a foreign language anymore? He hoped he never had the misfortune of meeting this so-called tutor in his life.
He gladly accepted the card that had 'Bucephalus'' phone number that his bodyguard extended. It was a nice gesture, although he rather doubted that he would ever need it. If they were ever faced with Mafia troubles that they couldn't deal with themselves, their first reaction would likely be to call Fon, then the Varia elites (with whom they actually had a rather friendly relationship, if you omitted Levi and Bel. Xanxus and Tsuna still exchanged email every so often) who knew Caeruleus' most hidden secrets. If it wasn't enough, then if was unlikely that 'Bucephalus' could be of any help, and they still had the Vindice. Tsuna was unwilling to play that card, because it was powerful and could only be used once, but if he was cornered, it was reassuring to know that he could count on such strong allies.
Naturally, he would prefer to deal with any issue without having to ask for outside help, but it never hurt to make connections.
He pocketed the card with a grateful smile, and wished the best of luck to 'Bucephalus'. The young man departed with one last tearful thank you and left in his sleek black limousine.
Tsuna belatedly realized he still didn't know this new 'oni-san's' real name.
That's it for this chapter. Care to guess which character will appear next?