If you won't even take time to read the chapters notes, I won't pay attention to you crying in the comments lol
Chapter 16 : a house of cards
It doesn't happen for a while yet, but Tsunayoshi could hardly forget about the thoughts and concerns he's had. After some time, he'll approach Saitoh, and he'll approach Shoichi, and he'll approach Yekaterina the next time she comes back to Namimori, and he'll ask those people: what kind of place is the world outside Namimori? Who are the people that live there? What are they like?
And the answers will vary a bit. All of those people are very different from one another, after all, and Shoichi will think that for the most part, the people outside Namimori are a lot like the people inside it. There are good kinds and there are bad kinds, and it depends on the person themselves which that'll be. And Saitoh will say that there are a lot less evil people outside of Namimori than inside it. He'll say that he's a bit sad that he won't have Tsunayoshi around to help him decide, but that he'll do his best to live on his own from now on. He'll ask Tsunayoshi to please keep in touch, and to depend on him as his eyes and ears until Tsunayoshi himself can come and experience the outside world for himself.
And Yekaterina will tell him that the world is full of monsters much worse than anything that Namimori has to offer.
-0-
All of them more or less speak the truth, or at least their own truth, and - remembering Yekaterina who took him aside and put a pie spatula to his throat and then eventually accepted him as a more or less harmless child: Tsunayoshi knows what he comes to believe for himself.
-0-
Kyoko isn't the type to let things rest, so it's not long after that ill fated kendo match at school that Tsunayoshi, Haru, and Takeshi take off after school to meet with the others at the Sasagawa residence. Of course, Haru not having been involved in any of the excitement has left her a bit fretful over the whole matter.
"It's not that big of a deal," Takeshi says, waving Haru off.
"But-" she says, and bites her lip unhappily.
It's a big deal, although maybe not for the reasons that Haru thinks. The sling makes it look a lot worse than it is - it's just there to support the weight of his arm and keep it from straining his bruised shoulder further. Nothing broken, according to the nurse and old man Yamamoto as well; it's only deep muscle bruising, but even if Takeshi keeps a brave face up, it's still pretty painful and nothing that anyone wants aggravated by straining it unnecessarily.
Given what time of year it is, Tsunayoshi will do his best to remain out of sight of Takeshi's baseball friends for the time being, although he doubts he'll remain 'out of mind' no matter what.
"It's a bit of a downer, not being able to play," Takeshi adds after a moment, a bit helplessly, as if he's sensed the direction of Tsunayoshi's thoughts, "but everyone understands. I don't regret getting this injury anyway, so don't worry about it."
Tsunayoshi wants to protest loudly about the part where 'everyone understands' but he's not really in the mood to holler and scream in the streets given the serious nature of their trip. Anyway, old man Yamamoto seemed to understand the situation more or less, and didn't hold it against Tsunayoshi, which was one of Tsunayoshi's main concerns once the matter of how serious the injury was got resolved.
Speaking of, Haru turns to Tsunayoshi with a scowl. It's by no means anywhere near as serious as the ones she's aimed at their enemies, but it's a bit unpleasant. "It's pretty careless of you, putting Takeshi-san in that position," she says unhappily.
"Please don't yell at me about it," he sighs, as it's not the first time she's brought it up. "You should know that I'm mad at myself, too."
"Now, now, I'm a warrior after all - or something like that," Takeshi says. "Even if it's the body that Tsuna asked me to take care with, sometimes I have to put it on the line and do dangerous things with it!"
"No one is arguing with that," Tsunayoshi says, cutting a glance at Haru when she looks like she might try; as if she hasn't been a hundred times more dangerous with her own on the streets with him and the Disciplinary Committee! Unlike those thugs on the street, Mochida really was trained not to cause serious injury, even to an idiot who refuses to wear armor! "But please be a bit more considerate about the situation and everyone's feelings. Even your honor can't be worth your body, you know?"
They both look at him a bit strangely, but it's Haru who scowls and says: "a body without honor is just a beast!"
"Well, if you're saying that it would make me like Kyoya-senpai, I don't have a problem with that," he says bluntly, just to see Haru fluster. She sure has strange reactions to Kyoya, even now. She should really decide if she wants to fight him or make him her knight, honestly.
Although, Tsunayoshi supposes that a knight can be used for fighting, too.
"That-! Tsunayoshi-san could never reach the same level as that shaggy beast," she protests a little shrilly, flushing, and Takeshi laughs.
Looking at Tsunayoshi, Takeshi says, "I didn't know you were close enough to be that casual when talking about him. Did the two of you get closer somehow when I wasn't paying attention?"
For the first time, it occurs to him to wonder if Takeshi is jealous somehow, since it took a request from his father before Tsunayoshi got comfortable enough to use his first name, but there doesn't seem to be any trace of it anywhere in his behavior. For a kid doing his best to present a certain kind of persona to the school, Takeshi is unexpectedly transparent in some ways; Tsunayoshi is just glad that Takeshi seems to consider his friendship with Tsunayoshi to be a separate matter from everyone else's.
"Not really," he admits sheepishly. "I expect to get bitten to death when he hears about it, but after doing some thinking, I thought to myself that associating Kyoya with his family seemed a bit…"
"What do you mean?" Haru asks, eyes wide. "The Hibari family is well known and widely respected, isn't it?"
"I wonder," he says uncomfortably. "No - nevermind, it was just something I was thinking about, that's all."
But rather than let it go immediately, the way he would have preferred, Takeshi and Haru exchange looks. Takeshi's expression twists into a concerned look, despite the smile on his face. "I hate to think of something that could be bothering Hibari that even with the Committee, he can't take care of it, but…"
Tsunayoshi quickly waves him off. "It's only something I've been thinking about, it's not like I have anything to back it up with!" he protests. "You shouldn't take me so seriously. Really!"
Takeshi seems pretty amused by the protests. "But your instincts are good, Tsuna," he says. "They're really good! If you hadn't reminded me, I would have taken Mochida's head off that time by accident!"
Tsunayoshi wishes that Takeshi wouldn't remind him about that. Although of course Tsunayoshi can't allow Takeshi to instinctively endanger his own position and reputation by reacting out of reflex - if Takeshi had taken Mochida's head off, then at least he wouldn't have gotten hurt.
"Well, this time you managed to make your reputation better, if nothing else," he says.
After that tremendous showing at the Sports fest, Takeshi's popularity had gone up by a lot. Despite being the only one who had gotten hurt, the show of skill and composure had really impressed a lot of people - and Mochida is on the outs at the moment, a social outcast thanks to his lack of poise and striking an opponent without any armor… and though Tsunayoshi is sure that no one wishes that he had hit accurately, hitting a shoulder doesn't even count for a point, anyway, so Takeshi had gotten that third point, too.
"That's true! But the thing I was trying to get at was that when you decide on a path of action, let us in on it, too, okay?"
Haru latches onto Tsunayoshi's arm. "Hear, here!" she says. "I get lonely with the two of you going to school together! It's disappointing! It's really disappointing! Haru hates being left on the outside, let her come play, too!"
"Ah - sorry," he says, looking at her. "It's not like I meant to - of course I want to invite you along-" It's only at that point that Tsunayoshi realizes what he's saying. "This isn't a game in the first place!"
"Well, it's not a fun game, anyway," she harrumphs, squeezing his arm a bit. "But even in life, there are things like 'points' and 'success,' so - if you don't use everything at your disposal, isn't that the same as forfeiting?"
'Forfeiting' sounds like something nice and easy, and the part of Tsunayoshi that followed Kyoko around and sat staring out windows and decided to become homeless or a NEET - that part of him really likes the idea. It's really appealing to just give up and let whatever happen. But the rest of him points out that it's just too obvious that Haru and Takeshi and Nana won't let it leave at that, and he honestly doesn't want things to go badly for them, or for them to be unhappy. And in the end, Tsunayoshi's desire for them to be happy far outweighs his own self centered desires.
"Alright already, I've got it," he sighs. "Didn't I get you involved in the matter of the Student Council case despite you not even attending Nami Middle?"
"Interfering with a middle school is one thing," she scoffs. "If it involves that shaggy beast, I want in on that, too - especially if it involves cutting that beast away from his family."
"What kind of situation do you think is happening," he demands, harassed. "You were just saying that his family is upper class!"
"Well, we've noticed that you've been worried about Hibari for some time now - sorry, but I'm not comfortable with the idea of calling him by his first name yet - so we've been waiting to see where it goes," Takeshi says.
Just how transparent must Tsunayoshi be, he wonders, cutting Takeshi a look. "Is that why you've been asking me not to invite him to various places," he asks flatly.
"More or less, haha!"
Other than the fact that Kyoya wouldn't like it in the first place, it wouldn't do much good to try forcibly associating him with Tsunayoshi's other friends if they're scared of him in the first place. "He's really not that bad once you get a feel for his personality," he says reproachfully.
"No thanks - we'll leave his care to Tsuna!"
"Nm, but," Haru mumbles, refusing to look at him while she tugs on his arm, "Haru-chan wouldn't mind being bothered about it from time to time…"
What kind of reaction is that! Honestly, just decide if you want to fight him or what! Don't have some kind of weird backwards reaction while being unable to admit your own feelings to yourself!
Although he and Takeshi seem to be on the same page where Haru's feelings are concerned, judging by the look that Tsunayoshi gets from him, Takeshi relents. "Ah, well," he says, "Hibari is a comrade after all, so if he's in trouble, then count me in, too."
Nakamoto always accuses Tsunayoshi of being too relaxed about dangerous things, but - aren't the people around him the same way? If that's how it is, it can't be helped. They'll all just be too relaxed about awful things together, then. Although Tsunayoshi should probably associate with people like Saitoh and Nakamoto from time to time just to keep some idea of what's normal in mind. It'd be useful, since it's not like they can all just cut themselves out of society. Haru and Takeshi, as social people, would die because of that even if Kyoya and Tsunayoshi himself would probably be fine.
Well, neither of them would be entirely happy completely cut off from humanity, but at least a little bit would be fine.
"Thanks," he says, "I'll remember that. But - ah. For now, since we'll be intruding on the Sasagawa household, can we all try to get along with everyone?"
Of course, being good kids, both Takeshi and Haru agree to that much. In the first place, Haru must be curious about Kyoko, given what Tsunayoshi had shared regarding their history, and while Takeshi has no problems provoking someone once his blood is up, it's doubtful that anything will happen to cause him to take offense. He won't strike the first blow anyway, so there should be enough time for Tsunayoshi to act in counter measure. Haru's temper is far less predictable, but no one in Kyoko's household is likely to pay Tsunayoshi a large enough offense for Haru to react to, either. Even if she's quick to pick a fight, Haru is unexpectedly sensitive to social matters.
Since this whole visit is in regards to Mochida's dishonorable actions at the Sports Fest in the first place, it'd be counterproductive for it to end in another fight.
After the end of the kendo duel, Takeshi and Tsunayoshi had been more or less banished to the nurse's office to assess the damage. Hana had caught up with them sometime later to express Kyoko's desire to meet with them at her own home. Even though they've been back to school a few times, neither Kyoko nor Hana had tried approaching either Tsunayoshi or Takeshi - something that Tsunayoshi is honestly grateful for, considering the increase of duties he's seen for the Disciplinary Committee, and then the increase in hostility from the baseball club.
Well, it's likely that it won't just be a matter of discussing Mochida's actions, but also probably the favor that Kyoko asked of him. Tsunayoshi is still a little anxious about whether or not the matter of the field trip will come out, and how someone like Kyoko will react to it.
Usually this would be a day for them to work together on their studying - or rather, for Haru to try her hardest to beat information into Takeshi and Tsunayoshi's head - but since this is an important situation, and also because he was out voted, they're going today. He doesn't mind much - as Haru has said, it's not nice if she's left out of everything just because Takeshi and Tsunayoshi have more opportunities to get into trouble together.
Actually, it turns out that Kyoko doesn't live all that far from Tsunayoshi. It's understandable that they haven't met until middle school, but he feels weirdly relieved that it had never occurred to him to follow Kyoko off school grounds. The house is a bit nicer than his own, with more of a lawn that has more plants in it. Tsunayoshi wonders who maintains them.
If Tsunayoshi had honestly stopped himself for a moment and wondered what Kyoko and Ryohei's mother was like, the woman who responded to the buzz at the gate definitely wouldn't have been it. Then again, there wasn't anyone else it could be: she shares Kyoko's kind, curious gaze, and the set of her shoulders.
"Oh," she says, as if she's somehow surprised by the teenagers at her doorway, even though Tsunayoshi knows she's not. She smiles and it's Kyoko's smile, warm and welcoming, but not overbearingly so: not in the way that had caught his attention about Kyoko. The way her attention locks onto Tsunayoshi is all Ryohei, though, as she says, "You must be Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"Uh," Tsunayoshi finds himself saying, wrong footed by someone who says something like that warmly. He blushes, ducking his head. "Ah - y-yes. I'm Tsunayoshi. You must be Sasagawa-san?"
"Sasagawa Naoko," she says kindly, stepping back a little bit and widening her attention to Tsunayoshi's friends. "We've been expecting you. Please, come in."
Maybe it's not albinism, the reason Ryohei looks the way he does, or otherwise it's a trait he shares with his mother. Kyoko favors her strongly in her mannerisms, but Sasagawa Naoko favors her son strongly as well. The parts of his face that are most strongly Japanese he gets from his mother, and they share the same stark white hair and steely gray eyes -
(the boy with milkspill hair- although, no: Naoko's hair is flat and and fine and straight, nothing so unruly as to be called a 'spill')
"Thank you," Tsunayoshi says, feeling awkward and fumbling as he tries to remember all his manners for a social visit. This isn't at all like going over to Shoichi Irie's house to shake him out of his room and make him go back to school. He uncertainly dips into a bow and then turns a bit to the others. "These are my friends, Miura Haru and Yamamoto Takeshi."
Naoko lifts one sleeve covered hand to her mouth but doesn't entirely manage to cover her entire gentle smile; her dark eyes are sharp, but far from unfriendly or wary. She's wearing the red kimono almost more like a housecoat, too loose to really justify with company over, but by the way it hangs on her frame, she's definitely wearing clothing under it. "A pleasure. Please, call me Naoko." She drops the hand from her face and sweeps it out deeper into the house. "Kyoko and her friends are this way."
It feels an awful lot like being taken into the Yamamoto residence, Tsunayoshi thinks, even though the Sasagawa house is much more humble and favors the western style. Naoko guides them to a sitting room with poise and grace that reminds him a lot of when Takeshi had stepped into the ring; old man Yamamoto was accustomed to walking like an old man far beyond his actual age, stiff and heavy. Naoko moved as if she were ready to shift in any direction in an instance and doesn't even seem like she's exhausted by maintaining it.
Kyoko and Ryohei are both sitting on one of the couches facing the coffee table, which already has a tea set and snacks on it. There are enough chairs to go around, other than the empty couch opposite, and Hana and Mochida both are sitting on a few on Kyoko's side; they all look serious, other than Mochida who looks mutinous and Kyoko who smiles that same polite smile Naoko gave them in greeting.
Tsunayoshi's moment of hesitation allows Haru to grasp his arm again, guiding him over so that they sit opposite Kyoko, while Takeshi easily follows and drops himself into a chair opposite Hana, waving at her with a bright smile.
"Sorry I didn't ask you to bring along Hibari-san," Kyoko says, clasping her hands together. "But I thought he might be a bit busy and wouldn't really care about this much anyway."
"It's fine," Tsunayoshi says, having already wondered about it but discarded it for the same reasons. He can't imagine that Kyoya would have been pleased to be bothered with something like this anyway.
Naoko pulls a chair over to the side of the table and begins to set out cups and fill them before she sits down herself and smiles at Tsunayoshi. "Please don't mind me and only think of me as decoration."
"Mom agreed to mediate," Kyoko explains. "Although I don't think it will come to that."
"Mediation," Tsunayoshi echoes warily.
"Of course." The warmth goes out of Kyoko a little bit as she sighs, looking a bit annoyed and resigned. "My friends keep making trouble for your friends."
Mochida makes a dark noise of protest, but cows under the look that Hana and Kyoko both turn on him - Hana's harsh and threatening, Kyoko's reproachful and disappointed. He looks like he doesn't know how to cope with either of those things, subsiding. Well, it must be difficult for someone like Mochida Kensuke, who has been automatically treated with honors wherever he went. Taking over the Kendo club in his first year obviously showed that he wasn't afraid to work hard, but - no matter how good he was, if he wasn't Mochida Kensuke, there's no way it would have happened. And while he's aware that people must not like his personality, he's obviously never had to face proof of that directly.
"Well, it is trouble," Tsunayoshi says, even though he doesn't hold Kyoko responsible for Mochida's actions, looking at her. "This is baseball season, you know, and Nami depends on their star batter. He's the captain, after all. And it wasn't a proper kendo round, either, especially since by the rules, Mochida-kun had already lost."
"Yes," Kyoko agrees, even as she watches him, seeming to examine his composure. "It's an extremely unfortunate position that I find myself in, after having asked a favor of you."
Tsunayoshi hums, remembering his thoughts about how to make that favor even; he's a bit relieved to hear Kyoko pitch it in that way, though, clearly aware that what she'd asked of him in return for Saitoh's information had been unfair. It belatedly occurs to him that maybe she'd meant for him to haggle, and that she'd put herself in an uncomfortable place when he'd agreeing without arguing about it.
How lucky for them both to be working together at this point.
"Favors have a way of working themselves out, I think," he says instead, dropping his gaze. "But you see, this situation is a bit troubling, not just because of Takeshi-kun's position within the school, and his duties and responsibilities to it. Mochida challenged his honor, which isn't something to be taken lightly, and then he dishonored himself."
This is apparently a straw too far for Ryohei, who only trembles briefly before he bursts. "Our comrade's behavior has been extremely uncool! Rest assured that steps will be taken to correct his behavior!" Mochida jumps at the shout, and then shrinks miserably in on himself, so he must really hold Ryohei's opinion in high regard.
"Is that so," Tsunayoshi says, looking between Mochida and the two Sasagawa siblings. Then he turns. "Takeshi-kun, it was your honor that was challenged. Would you like to say anything about this?"
Takeshi looks startled to be addressed. "Ah. Say something? Well, it's true that that it was a serious offense when Mochida slandered you the way he did, and more than that, it was pretty off putting the way he had one of his kohai go as far as to put their hands on you…" He seems to think it over seriously, although he's already dealt some heavy blows judging by the way Ryohei is scowling even more than before and Kyoko attentive expression is set over steadily thinning lips. He brightens at last, looking at Tsunayoshi. "Say! Why not make him my gofer for the time being? It's difficult right now with only one arm, after all!"
"What!" Mochida shouts, forgetting himself.
Tsunayoshi would like to shout that, too, honestly. Further exposure to Mochida is the exact opposite of what Tsunayoshi would ask for, if it were him, but - ah, since this is Takeshi asking him, and it's true that Tsunayoshi won't be able to pick up the slack with his own hands given how Takeshi's friends feel about him right now… "Well, that seems fair, having Mochida-kun take responsibility for the damages. He'll have to put his club on hold for the time being, since the baseball club is in season."
"Hmm. Well, the council and the committee are currently reviewing the Kendo Club's internal affairs," Kyoko admitted, pressing her fingertip to her lip. "Since all kendo activities will be on hold anyway, I don't see any conflict in assign Mochida-kun to Yamamoto-kun in the interim."
"You want me to babysit that baseball geek?" Mochida screeches.
Kyoko looks at him with no particular expression on her face, and after a second, Mochida cowers again, going pale. Kyoko blinks twice and then looks pleased with herself, returning her attention to Tsunayoshi. "Then, with assigning Mochida-kun to Yamamoto-kun until his shoulder heals, the matter of the Sports fest duel can be considered resolved, yes?"
Tsunayoshi glances at Haru and Takeshi, but neither of them indicate otherwise, so he nods. "Yes, that will settle it."
The smile that Kyoko gives him is bright and warm and nothing at all like the glaring sunlight that flashes off windows to blind anyone. Her mother has a smile much like it as she pours fresh tea for everyone.
This seems to break the rest of the tense atmosphere and everyone relaxes. Ryohei starts shouting at Takeshi about what he's heard regarding the match, and though Takeshi looks taken aback, he responds gamely. Mochida is still busy sulking, but Kyoko turns to Haru with that same bright smile, and Hana is wandering over to stand beside her.
A hand settles on Tsunayoshi's shoulder, and though he'd been somewhat aware of it, he still blinks rapidly at Naoko. She smiles down at him benignly from where she stands beside the couch. "A word?" she asks.
Even though everyone is distracted, Tsunayoshi trusts that Haru and Takeshi will notice on some level, and sets his tea down and stands as well.
It's not a threatening stride, he determines as he follows her out of the sitting room and toward the kitchen. She's not being tense and unfriendly, so despite the several times that Tsunayoshi has been cornered by his friends' parents and guardians, he doesn't think that it'll turn out the same way. Besides, Kyoko is the head of a household. It's not like she'll quit and join his, so this can't be about that anyway.
"I'm glad to finally meet you, Sawada Tsunayoshi," Naoko says warmly even as she bustles about, drawing down canisters for tea. Even though they've just left a warm kettle in the sitting room, she wastes no time in putting another on the stove.
"Um," Tsunayoshi says, "Sorry to keep you waiting?"
"It would have annoyed Iemitsu if I approached you on my own," she confides, finally coming to a stop as all that's left to do is wait for the water to warm. She turns to look at him, and seems content to only watch him, as if he's some kind of dear friend she hasn't been able to see in years and years and years.
Frowning slightly, he says, "you know Dad?"
"Well, we worked together back in the day," she says, glancing away and tucking her hair behind her ear. "Then I ended up going freelance for a few reasons."
"In construction," Tsunayoshi observes flatly.
Naoko's smile is indulgent as she glances back toward him. "There are many different jobs to do with construction. Although I am very strong." When Tsunayoshi averts his gaze with a noncommittal noise, thinking of Iemitsu saying good job over something like that, she laughs gently. "I am glad about Nana-san," she says, "it seems like it was a good match after all, to result in someone like you. Although you're very much like my Kyoko. It's interesting to think of what Iemitsu would have been like in another walk of life. Like an artist, perhaps."
"I'm not really like Kyoko-chan at all," he disagrees, because it's difficult to think of Kyoko in the same realm as Dame-Tsuna at all.
"Oh, no, you really are," she disagrees. "And I think like Iemitsu as well. Oh - please excuse me. That expression you've made just now; there's nothing at all quite like the face Iemitsu makes when he hears something unpleasant. I was very touched when my own Kyoko would make one just exactly identical to it - although eventually she grew out of showing her emotions that way." She pauses. "I wonder if dear boss also grew out if it? We were younger back then, and a bit more honest."
It feels unpleasantly staticy in this room - like all of Tsunayoshi's nerve endings have lost connection with themselves and each other and Tsunayoshi. Is Naoko intentionally trying to make him show that face? He has to wonder. Ahh. What should he do? Everything is bad.
More than most things, he doesn't want to think of the reasons why any face he makes might be familiar because Iemitsu made it first, and so had Kyoko before she learned a girl's poise. The whole subject makes his heart thud unpleasantly in his chest and his skin prickle and something burn hot there. He fists his hands anxiously in the bottom on his shirt, listening for the sounds of everyone else carrying on in the sitting room. That he keeps getting taken aside for secret talks like this make him feel like he's being denied connections again.
He just wants to be happy with everyone else.
"Why would you tell me something like this," he asks, and it comes out strange and dull.
Naoko's tone isn't unkind when she says, quiet and gentle, "some things are better to know. Otherwise something bad would have happened if that child and you got too close - don't you think so?"
The angle of Naoko's concerns is absurd. Laughable. Ridiculous. As if Kyoko is the kind if person that the Tsunayoshi who stands in the Sasagawa residence today could connect with in any fashion considered dangerous in that way. 'The girl you like' had been a handy explanation for it, but in retrospect… Tsunayoshi easily understands that it hadn't been anything at all like that. He just hadn't known what else to call it and thought that given everything else, maybe that's just how people felt about others from time to time - right?
"Something like that has always been impossible," Tsunayoshi says, still strange, thick through the awful things that have filled the hollow charred into him. "With the way I am, it's bad enough for Takeshi-kun. Kyoko's reputation would be… "
"Iemitsu was rough around the edges, too," Naoko says easily, "but when he wanted something, there weren't many people he couldn't charm."
The person who has arrived to lurk around outside the kitchen finally steps up at that point. "To be fair," Shioya says as he steps inside, "he was mostly around idiots, anyway." He glances at Tsunayoshi and huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is this why you wanted me out of the house? So those two kids could tussle over matters?"
Naoko smiles shamelessly as him. "Welcome back, Tada-kun," she says easily. "All's well that ends well, isn't it? There really wasn't all that much tussling involved. As Nana-san's precious child, Tsunayoshi-kun is obviously well behaved."
The look on Shioya's face suggests that he doesn't agree with that in the least. "While it doesn't surprise me that a bratty instigator like yourself would say so, it's specifically as Nana-chan's son that I won't be fooled just because he's willing to humor people from time to time," he says, and easily transfers the look when Tsunayoshi frowns. "And don't argue, mini-Sawada. We never met before recently, but I heard enough to know her by reputation. You're fifty years too early to try matching her skill with deceiving others with a sweet smile, you know."
Tsunayoshi isn't so sure he appreciates Shioya talking about his mother that way, but - well, a lot of things are making more sense now that he knows that Shioya and Ryohei's mother live in the same house. It doesn't make him happy in the least to realize belatedly that Shioya knows 'Sawada' thanks to that, either.
"A sweet smile isn't a deception when it's an honest wish to get along well with others, I think," Naoko says, turning to retrieve the kettle and serve them all tea. Tsunayoshi reluctantly accepts his cup and settles down at the table in the kitchen, glancing warily between Shioya and Naoko. "I'll be happy to work with Tsunayoshi-kun and trust him to have Kyoko's best interest in mind."
"You say that now," Shioya says shortly, but then drops the subject in favor of saying, "we could get this tussle over with if you'd just let me beat a few lessons into that brat's skull. If he's so thickheaded he thinks striking Tsuyoshi's kid is a good idea, he's just going to break Kyoko's heart."
"Let Kyoko sort her business out herself," Naoko chides him. "Kensuke-kun isn't very likely to permanently injure anyone, anyway. A little rowdiness is to be expected at times like these. It's better to let the children sort themselves out and develop some skills while there are adults to come to their rescue and clean up the messes."
The hot cup in his hands seems strangely frail to Tsunayoshi, despite being the usual kind that one would expect to have at lunch; it's weird to hear such lackadaisical words from adults when didn't they know-? No. How could they know? They think Tsunayoshi is sweet. Kyoko's mother has just given him Kyoko's well being when it hadn't been that much earlier that he'd wanted to devour her whole-
(He'd only too easily recognized Takeshi's ambitions after all.)
"Ahh - no. That's bad," Tsunayoshi says into the hot steam. "I thought something like that, but-"
There hadn't really been a sound, but the impact of the bokken against Takeshi's shoulder had may as well have been a slap to the face. It'd been sulfur and hot burning embers flying wildly. Tsunayoshi had thought that he'd pop or explode somehow. Even with just a bokken - no, even if it'd been a shinai - he'd know just how and with what strength-
(If Takeshi hadn't taken Mochida's head off, then Tsunayoshi-)
"Oh," Naoko says suddenly.
Shioya sighs. "There's a such thing as too much carelessness," he says to her. "If you're serious about it, someone needs to keep an eye on those kids, and I already have commitments."
"Stingy," Naoko says, pouting. "Why don't I take those commitments over for you? Dear boss was never yours, and technically it should be my responsibility anyway, since I'm the only one left. I would have done it myself, if I hadn't been forbidden to approach."
"No offense, aneki, but there was probably a reason for that. Besides, you already made such a splendid choice with that sword brat. He certainly hasn't increased frictions between that cute kid and this small brat, now has he."
That seems a bit unfair to Naoko. "It's not as bad as that," Tsunayoshi says, a little silted. "I never once thought that Mochida was acting on Kyoko's behalf to begin with? She doesn't have any reason to to cause problems. Besides, it was a bit obvious that he's not as close to Kyoko as he'd like everyone to think."
"But if he'd annoyed you enough for you to do something about it, it would have ended badly," Shioya points out, although his expression implies that he'd already guessed that Tsunayoshi had nearly done something bad anyway. "Then it wouldn't have really mattered whether he'd been acting on his own or not. Kyoko wouldn't have been able to let it go. At that point, it would be a matter of honor for her, right?"
Well - it's not like Tsunayoshi hasn't been dragged along by the willfulness of Haru and Takeshi before. If Tsunayoshi really had done anything, then Shioya's right: it would have been natural for Kyoko to respond regardless of her own feelings.
If that's true, then it's also true that someone's household might cause problems based on the whims of one person. Although Mochida did it by accident, more or less, apparently unaware of his own affiliations… it would be easy for someone to do it purposely.
Sighing, he says, "so even when small animals crowd together to pool their strength, there's weaknesses in that system as well… I guess it can't be helped." After all, if Tsunayoshi is left alone, he'll die. So, watching out for second hand threats like that… it's not as easy as just keeping an eye on people who can attack and kill them right away, then. It's also a matter of weak people scheming to get their stronger comrades involved.
"Do you feel as though an important family somewhere lost a prince or something?" Naoko says suddenly, looking at Shioya with wide, blinking eyes.
"Well, some people can't become princes if their lives depended on it, but something valuable was certainly lost," he says, standing. "It can't be helped if some families are so well-off that they'll toss away anything on a whim due to being selfish and short sighted. Anyway, thanks for the tea, but this is really a brat overload for me, so I'm retiring for the night."
Naoko's eyes are a bit dark as she watches him leave the kitchen. For once, there's not a smile or a pleasant look on her face, although she quickly looks to Tsunayoshi and corrects that. "Sorry that you had to hear all of that," she says. "Tada-kun gets cranky now and then about old history like that. 'Forgiving and forgetting is a thing for righteous people,' that's what he's always said."
"... like when you go freelance, in the construction business, for this and that reason?" Tsunayoshi wonders.
Naoko startles, and then she lets out a startling peal of laughter - just the same way that Shioya had once before. Even though they don't share blood, the relationship between them is pretty obvious, he thinks. "Well, you're really are dear boss' kid after all," she says. "Take care of Tada-kun for me, okay? I raised him to be a good kid, but he's never really learned how to trust people."
Isn't he at least as old as Nana?! Just who should be looking after whom in this situation!
Lurching to his feet, Tsunayoshi sets the cup down - a little too loudly and a little too hard, but although tea splashes, the cup doesn't break. "I won't take him into my household! Thank you for the tea, but please look out for your younger brother yourself!"
Before any other odd requests can be made of him, Tsunayoshi beats a hasty retreat back to the sitting room, where all his friends are waiting. As refreshing as it was for someone not to scowl based only on his name - people looking to depend on him have their drawbacks, too.
-0-
It's a scary thing when you're still accustomed to thinking of yourself as a child to be taken care of by your mother, but then you kill someone and that mother flinches away from you. Even if she comes back around and dotes on you again, it's not an easy thing to forget. It's a scary thing when the adults who always talked over your head about matters that no one understands begin to speak with you as though you've suddenly become their peer: in on some kind of secret that they all share. They single you out, and you alone, and take you aside, and say threats and make requests.
Although he doesn't understand the details of the things they say, he can understand the broad strokes of it. More than just speaking around the subject at hand while assuming that he's in on some kind of adult secret - they're intentionally too vague. It's too much like they're trying to avoid some kind of taboo that will summon a monster - or a hoard of monsters, an army of demons - if they break it.
Tsunayoshi isn't yet strong enough to protect himself and his friends and family from something like an army of demons, so it can't be helped. The outside world is full of terrifying things, isn't it? It's best to keep his head down and play along for now.
And if he has to burn alive from the inside out to achieve his goals, or become even worse scum, then he'll do it with his own hands and utterly crush all obstacles under his own heels himself.
-0-
NOTES: I'm not sure I really subscribe to flame alignments being genetic, although there seems to be a trend of it given mafia families in Italy! If they're not at least a little genetic, then it's hard to defend the idea that it just so happens that the Vongola operates like a monarchy, it's Xanxas' Wrath flames that specifically singled him out for candidate as Nono's kid, and in addition: the Luce-Aria-Yuni Arcobaleno dynasty.
I'm sure it's something complicated with epigenetics tho.
For now, I think I'll say that there's a somewhat-genetic marker that increases the likelihood of a Sky having a Sky child, but if certain environmental conditions aren't met during childhood, that kid becomes some other flame. Kyoko met them mostly by having an active sibling, but also because of that active sibling, she was never actually forced online. Kyoko achieves things through social currency and manipulation and so has never been so desperate that she thought she might die.
Shioya said that Takeshi's first choice of Sky got screwed up. Well, he wasn't entirely wrong, but he wasn't entirely right, either.
Just like canon!Tsuna, Tsunayoshi is good at panicking but then repressing it and acting strangely calm afterwards lmao.
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