A/N Hi again!
A bit more of fun with the whole 'colour-seeing, synthesia-like spin on hyper intuition'. Yes that is what it will be known as.
Other than that, this is a pretty straight forward chapter. Tsuna's just settling back into Japan.
~Chapter 4 – And Tomorrow, and the Next Day, and the Next Day
Some time in her second year of school, Tsuna attracted the attention of some more unsavoury bullies, brutish kids from an older class just looking for others to pick on. It was times like this she remembered Fujimoto-sensei's lessons, and that probably meant it was ok to defend herself, but Tsuna found she couldn't raise her fists. Couldn't... wouldn't, hurting others just didn't appeal to her. Getting pushed around wasn't something new to her, and their hits, though bruising, were light enough to be nothing more than an inconvenience. At least if they were here with her they weren't bothering some other unfortunate student.
"What are your herbivores doing?" It was the first time she had heard the distinct growl of the school prefect. She turned her gaze upwards from his looming shadow and was blindsided by a flare of purple. It wasn't such a far cry from getting the sun in her eyes, and reminded Tsuna so much of the time she spent in Italy. Why it did so was beyond her, but it was gone an instant after it appeared. She couldn't even be sure it wasn't her imagination, but something told her it was important. Even without the gut feeling, she doubted she would ever forget such a beautiful colour.
"Shit, it's Hibari!" Despite the number advantage, despite the size advantage a couple of them had, their fear was palpable. After all, no one had come out unscathed from a meeting with the bloodthirsty prefect.
"For sullying the school grounds of Namimori," His steel gaze swept over them, more imposing than any adult they had seen, "I'll bite you to death."
The flashes of colour were something she could not decode. Tsuna had no idea what they meant to her, and why she was seeing something so out of the ordinary. She wasn't sick, her eyesight was fine and her body otherwise healthy. The colours were completely harmless or so it seemed, and rare in their appearances… or so she thought.
This time Tsuna found herself seated at the back of the classroom, near the window after a recent seat change. And in front of her was the school's up and coming baseball star, Yamamoto Takeshi. He hadn't noticed her, but her eyes were all but glued to him, for reasons not altogether different from the other girls in the class. He was the closest the school had to a male idol after all. Popular, friendly, handsome enough to be noticed by even kids… so even Tsuna watched him with a bit of awe, just enough to see a bit of glimmer on the back of his shirt. Some quick blinks confirmed it wasn't going to disappear anytime soon, so she allowed herself to simply sit back and admire the charming blue.
"Get going, Herbivore." The disciplinary head didn't even spare her a second glance, roughly kicking the groaning teen underneath him into unconsciousness. He may have been just a child himself, but he had early on separated himself from the weak pack.
"Arigatou, Hibari-senpai." Tsuna bowed her head politely, wincing at the aches in her body. How long had this been going on for now?
"Hn." He watched her stand and walk away as if she hadn't taken a beating, steps steady and head held up. It further cemented his suspicions that Sawada Ietsuna was not just an herbivore but other than that he had no proof other than the restless boiling of his blood, an unknown sort of basic predatory instinct. In fact he had bitten her to death more than once purely out of curiosity, and each time she had simply taken his blows without an ounce of resistance, landing herself in an infirmary bed.
Tsuna herself was hard pressed not to turn around, to keep her eyes away from the diminishing colour surrounding the older boy. It truly flared to life when he fought, and in times after the battle like this, it faded away. A violent violet she mused to herself, finding it more funny that she should have. Returning to her classroom only to pick up her bag, Tsuna left the school leisurely, tilting her head to better hear the heavy thwack of a hardball on metal that rang out steadily. She detoured through the Namimori streets, lingering at displays of flowers, and peeking into the cosy art stores.
What had caught her eye in the end was a single wisteria petal, blown over from some distant trees only to lie unprotected by the road. Tsuna picked it up with gentle hands, cradling it carefully until she reached her home. She greeted her mum almost absentmindedly before immediately heading into her room. The leather-bound book the girl needed was already sitting on her desk and she wasted no time opening it. Out of the 40 or so pages inside, all but four were blank, and those four themselves almost made up for it on their own. Flowers, scraps of cloths, scribbles of pencils and patches of paint decorated each one, only separated by the people they reflected. The petal she picked up was settled into the page she had reserved for the prefect of their school, and she prayed that he never found out about her almost obsessive habit, amongst the other coloured objects. The whole page had been assaulted by purples and violets, some lighter some darker, but all frustrating close to the shade that he wore…that he was.
Nana had registered daughter for martial arts lessons twice a week, and for 4 whole years she had attended each one diligently. There had never been a day where she or her teacher had been absent, a small miracle especially whenever flu season came around. Ietsuna hadn't thought that today would be different, besides the fact he had promised her some sort of 'long-time student' gift. Long-time was a bit of an exaggeration, but then again Fujimoto Minoru was just that sort of person.
His name had been on the tip of her tongue when she entered, but was muted as instead a stranger greeted her. What she saw first was the glow of a new colour, a wisp-like ball of deep red. It thumped quiet and steady, like a beating heart, exuding a sort of strength that echoed in the dojo.
"You must be Ietsuna-chan," His voice was high pitched and his entire form concealed in baggy, purple clothes. She couldn't even see his eyes behind the sun glasses he chose to wear despite their indoor location. "Minoru told me about you."
"Is Fujimoto-sensei busy today?" She asked curiously, feeling safe in the presence of this stranger. He had the same presence as her usual teacher if not calmer.
"Ah, I guess you could say something like that," He brought a hand to his chin, his sleeve completely obscuring the limb as if it were several sizes too long, "I'm supposed to inform you that he's chosen a peaceful retirement, and will no longer be able to teach you. Though he did say his time spent with you was definitely enjoyable."
"What?" Tsuna was taken aback. She had never seen any signs of her sensei wanting to retire other than his age. "Is my training over then?" It hadn't really sunk in that he was gone, and she was still half-expecting him to pop out with a 'Surprise!'.
"Not at all," The purple clad stranger informed, "I owed Minoru a favour and he requested that I teach you in his place." Of course, for how long was left up to him, but his old friend seemed adamant that Ietsuna would impress.
"And who exactly are you?" She asked eyeing him up and down, lingering on the red. It was just as breath-taking as the others, close to a garnet or maybe the wine that Xanxus had always drank in his tall glasses… she would have to start a new page…
"Oh, how rude of me," He gasped realising he had yet to introduce himself, "My name is Fon, and I suppose to you I am your teacher's teacher."
She was amazing. Fon had never aspired to become a martial arts teacher but along the way he had met a handful of people he had been willing to pass his knowledge on to. It was never much but they appreciated his efforts, taking in the basics of his renowned style and incorporating it into their own. After all these years there were three, maybe four people that could claim to have received his teachings, and each one had passed down his lessons, attempting to instil the spirit of his martial arts into their students. The results each time had somewhat unconvincing, so when Minoru had called in his favour, he had been doubtful. No matter how much trust and faith he had in the man, or how much the elder would praise his only student, Fon could not confirm this so called 'potential' until seeing her for himself.
And then they met. Outwardly she came off as an unremarkable child, small and unsure, always hiding behind her hair. She was the type of person you could pass on the street without even a second glance, and yet something inside him kept him from simply looking away. And he was glad it had. Her movements were fluid and beautiful, strong, containing all the confidence she seemed to lack. The moment he had asked her to demonstrate her learning, his eyes had been glued to her form. His student had imbued in her the basics, drilling the simple moves into her for four long years. It was sly of the old man, creating nothing less than the perfect, blank foundation that would tempt any martial artist.
"Just like that." Fon guided her hand, shadowing her as he adjusted her form. Fujimoto's gift to her was still here and didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon.
"Hai, Fon-sensei." Tsuna dedicated the motion to memory. It was only recently that he could help her directly, before staying far away in his ambiguous form. She didn't quite understand it but it seemed her current master was a bit more than an ordinary human. When they had first met he had been an infant in disguise, his small form and pitched voice that of a child, and when he had revealed himself as such, she had been stunned. After all, how was a child so smart? Mature? Skilled? It did not add up but she was forced to remain dissatisfied with her unresolved questions and the lack of answers she received.
"Soon you will be leaving elementary school," Her mysterious teacher stated giving his student an appraising look, "You will have more work. Are you willing to continue with martial arts?"
"Yes," She replied with a smile, "I enjoy it and it would make Mama and Fujimoto-sensei happy."
"Good," The child nodded in approval, his wise eyes misplaced on his innocent face, "I might be a little busier in the coming years, but I think it's time you learnt more than the basics."
"What will I be learning?" The young girl asked, stepping out of the kata and into a relaxed position.
"I'm not sure yet," Her master said thoughtfully, "I suppose I'll do some research to find a style suited to you… Otherwise I'm sure we could make something unique." She was excited, he could tell by the sparkle of light in her eyes. Fon felt his lips tend into a smile, maybe he was a little excited as well.
For Tsuna, the first year of middle school looked to be no different than her final year of elementary. Namimori was a small town, and as such all the faces in her technically new class, were familiar. Nothing in her life had changed. She still practised martial arts, although whether or not her new sensei was present would vary, the strange 'man' disappearing frequently due to his work. Bullies still harassed her with their petty-mindedness and Hibari still bit them, and occasionally her, to death. There was nothing new. If there was one thing that bothered her, it was the absence of her twin, his visits with their father becoming more and more spread out to merely once a year. She was worried because whenever she thought of Yoshi she ended up thinking of her father, then of Italy, then of the red-eyed man she so fondly remembered, before her thoughts finally settled on the mafia.
Her father worked in the mafia, that was certain, and she wondered if her brother knew. It was very likely considering how they hadn't even attempted to hide it from them when they were young, it was simply too hard for them to imagine. Yoshi was smart, so by now he should understand, but the same time her brother was an idiot and she could only pray that their father wouldn't involve him.
No matter how many books she read, how hard she studied or trained, there was nothing to distract her from the feeling of helplessness in her stomach. Tsuna had found herself wishing more than once, for her ignorance to return. The fears she had as a child had been soothed by Xanxus' promise, a very unrealistic promise that weakened in strength over the years. Naively she tried to hold onto those words, but as the years passed she came to understand that she had been told a little white lie. Now the only one that could help her was herself.
"Herbivore." The growl was enough to tell her it was time she stopped laying around. Much to her bullies surprise the girl simply stood, acting as if their hits hadn't affected her one bit. And like usual she merely looked at them with pity. "Idiotic herbivores," Hibari muttered with a ruthless smile, "Always doing the same thing again and again." He took out his tonfa, satisfied with the cowering he received, and set to work, hurting them much more than they had her. Even though Tsuna knew that they would simply do it again after their injuries healed.
"Arigato Senpai." She bowed her head, wondering if the words even reached the teen before walking away. Tsuna took odd comfort in his presence, knowing more often than not, she could rely on his help. On her way out of the school she made the mistake of putting too much weight on her left leg and found herself stumbling into another student. "Sorry," She said with a wince, trying to shy away only to be grabbed. She knew who it was the instant she saw the glimmer of blue, radiating a warmth that soothed her the closer she was
"Hey, are you alright?" He held her carefully, a calloused hand wrapping around her wrist as he helped her steady. She tried her hardest not to meet his concerned gaze, averting her eyes from his.
"Yes, sorry for the bother," She shrugged him off as politely as she could and forced herself to stand up straight, "I just stumbled a bit."
A/N Thanks for readin'
We're still not into the thick of the story, but when it happens, she will be swamped with potential suitors, hahaha.
