ohmygod im really really REALLY sorry for taking this long i just LIFE and RESPONSIBILITIES and procrastination
thanks to my onee-sama for beta reading !
Takeshi wakes up before orange bleeds into the dark blue skies. Eyes staring unseeingly up at the ceiling, he ponders on how this isn't an uncommon occurrence— it's been ingrained in him by his father to always be the early bird— but Takeshi can't quite put a finger on what exactly roused him from his slumber. He notes it's a tad chillier than normal in his room, something that he wouldn't usually take note of given him being a rain dragon. When he sits up, Takeshi realizes that it's not the room that's cold; it's his mind thinking that it's cold in the room and tricking his body into believing it.
Rubbing his palms against his eyes, Takeshi tries to remember if he had any dreams prior to waking up, grasping at bits and pieces of a little girl in a lavender dress and a wall of ice.
"We will spend less time on the road if you'd let either one of us fly you to Vongola, young master Tsuna," Basil pipes up. He's watching Tsuna put a souvenir for his mother, a small yellow figurine of a fat bird carefully wrapped in a satin cloth by Haru, inside his satchel. Right after that's been secured, Tsuna pulls the strings tight and ties it into a knot that Basil is somehow familiar with.
"There's no we, though," Tsuna replies with a firm yet quiet tone. Turning his head to the side so that he can see Basil, he's rather unsettled by how unfazed Basil is regarding his announcement. It's as if he had been expecting Tsuna to say the words that he just said all along.
Clearing his throat, Tsuna adds, "I won't be bringing you or Ya- Takeshi with me back to Vongola. I've made a promise with his father that I will not take any dragons from Namimori."
"Technically, you won't be bringing us with you, since young master Takeshi and I have already decided that we'll be following you no matter what," Basil tells him. His voice is still gentle yet firm, as if wanting to end this certain conversation right then and there. Normally, Tsuna would back down since it's not in his personality to insist on something when the other person clearly doesn't agree with him. This time isn't one of those instances when he can just back down, though.
"You don't...you don't know what you're getting yourself into, Basil. Both you and Takeshi don't know what associating with me really means, let alone being bonded with me," Tsuna tries to reason out. He bites his lower lip when Basil's stance doesn't exchange. If anything, Basil seems more set now to stick with Tsuna.
"Aren't you afraid of the humiliation that you'll certainly be put upon once you return to Vongola empty handed?" Basil watches Tsuna stiffen minutely, fear rushing across the brunette's face before it's hidden behind a frown.
"No," Tsuna blatantly lies, voice shaking in tandem with his hands. He inhales deeply before adding, "I'm actually prepared for that, you know. I've had practice with it ever since...I can remember. It's nothing new, Basil. Being the subject of humiliation and disappointment, that is." Tsuna drops his gaze on his hands, missing the worried look that Basil's directing at him.
"No one should get accustomed to that," Basil quietly says. The joyless smile that that elicits doesn't soothe him.
"Some people have to," Tsuna murmurs nearly inaudibly. Slinging his satchel over his shoulder, Tsuna gazes up at Basil again, newly determined. "Can't I really convince you two to stay behind? Aside from the verbal taunts, I doubt I'd be subjected to any physical harm just because of failing one mission that I actually had no chance of completing."
"That's not really very convincing, young master Tsuna. If anything, it only serves to compel us more into accompanying you back to Vongola," Basil points out.
Tsuna opens his mouth, response dying in his tongue. He becomes flustered then, partly because of his failure when it comes to reasoning and partly due to the fond albeit amused smile that Basil gives him. "T-The thing is," he starts again, steeling himself and willing his voice not to falter. "I might...me having to surrender you to the Vongola Nono isn't an impossibility. After all, that is the mission. To find a Rain dragon for him."
"You won't hand us over just like that, though." Tsuna is shocked at the confidence that Basil says that with, which must show since Basil's smile widens. "Just as we won't let ourselves be separated from you so easily."
Throat constricting just as his eyes suddenly feel hot, Tsuna makes a show of taking a cursory glance around his room in the pretense of checking if he's forgotten anything. It's a flimsy attempt at avoiding Basil's eyes, but Tsuna honestly can't handle everything that Basil's presenting to him currently. How can the dragon easily tell him that they'd rather be by his side despite only having spent a couple of days with Tsuna? Add to the fact that he's been fairly incoherent during those times because of his fever and everything else that happened, Tsuna can't really see why Basil is so attached to him.
Shaking his head lightly, Tsuna asks, "Why do you speak as though you and Takeshi want the same thing? For all we know, he might want to stay here in Namimori instead of going to Vongola."
Basil chuckles at that, making Tsuna feel conscious because it feels like he just missed something. "He didn't accept your offer to break the bond, didn't he?"
"Wha- how-"
"I believe that's already telling of what his decision is regarding our journey." Stepping outside, Basil looks back at Tsuna over his shoulder and says, "We must leave now if we want to cover a lot of ground before midday." As an afterthought, he adds, "My offer from earlier still stands. I don't mind having both you and young master Takeshi on my back."
"Absolutely not!" Tsuna protests vehemently, sighing when he passes by a weirdly ecstatic Basil. He supposes there's really no changing the dragons' minds. He comforts himself on the knowledge that he tried his best to dissuade them.
"I don't get how you humans can stay comfortable on these," Takeshi grumbles as he shifts for the umpteenth time on his horse's back. The horse whinnies in return, tail flicking left and right furiously. A few feet ahead of him, Tsuna and Basil look over their shoulder with unmasked amusement, further irking Takeshi as he continues the tough battle of getting his horse to go where he wants it to.
"You need not force it too much, young master Takeshi," Basil advises him. The blond only shakes his head when Takeshi grumbles more, clearly not taking the hint when he pulls at the reins quite impatiently. The horse stomps its foot on the dirt, whinnying once again in a rather angry tone.
"This is hopeless," Takeshi says with a sigh, shoulders slumping down in defeat. He only startles a bit when a gloved hand enters his range of vision, palm up as if waiting for Takeshi to put something on it. Glancing up at its owner, Takeshi's puzzlement grows when Tsuna cocks his head to the side.
"Give me the reins." Takeshi does so with no quip, kinda annoyed when Tsuna smothers a snicker at the back of his free hand. He settles for gripping the saddle and the horse's neck lightly when they start moving again, this time his only problem being only to keep himself from slipping off the horse's back. Takeshi thinks it's quite unfair for the horse to not have any complaint with Tsuna lightly pulling at its reins; he did that, too, at the start, so why did it not follow him?
"Based on the speed we're travelling, I reckon we'll need an extra day than usual before we reach Vongola."
He can only see Basil's back for now, but Takeshi has no doubt that he is smirking at him. He also has no doubt that that's a jab to his...predicament, which is apparently a laughable thing given the fact that Tsuna and Basil nearly pissed themselves earlier when Takeshi fell down the first time.
"That's not too much of a delay," Tsuna comments, perceptible relief in his voice. It still baffles Takeshi why Tsuna's so reluctant to go back to Vongola, his home, and why he tried to persuade him and Basil until the last moment to stay behind Namimori. He has replayed every single thing that his father told him concerning Tsuna and his warning before they left the Yamamoto residence, as well as what few details he can remember of Tsuna's father whenever he came to visit Tsuyoshi. Takeshi wants so badly to just ask Tsuna a lot of things, yet he knows that Tsuna will tell him everything that he desires to know in due time.
Takeshi's impatient due to the fact that Basil seems to know more than he should. To make things worse, Basil isn't hiding it at all, interacting with Tsuna in a way an old friend would. He knows that it's childish of him to be this jealous, but Takeshi can't help it. He just couldn't speak to Tsuna like he did a week ago, though, not after Takeshi rendered him unconscious in a bout of uncharacteristic anger and then made him jump off a mountain. They've been tiptoeing around each other ever since, a reality that Takeshi wants to rewrite every time his throat constricts when he opens his mouth to call Tsuna.
"-eshi? Takeshi, are you there?"
Hearing his name, he turns his head to the source of the question, Tsuna's worried face coming into view. At the edge of his peripheral vision, Takeshi notes Basil's attentiveness based on the tensed lines of his shoulders. Slapping on an apologetic grin, Takeshi says, "Yeah. Was just dozing off, I guess. Never would have thought riding a horse is this much like being rocked in a hammock."
Tsuna stares at him as though he's speaking gibberish, sighing when he's unable to make sense of his sudden change in demeanor.
"You know, we could already be sleeping on a soft bed by now if you'd let one of us fly you to Vongola."
They've set up camp for the day in a small clearing in front of a huge tree. The dragons have decided amongst themselves that Tsuna will be sleeping inside the hollow curve at its base.
Tsuna grudgingly sets up his sleeping bag, replying, "I'll say it again: I do not like the idea of using you guys for that."
Basil tilts his head a little to the left in consideration. "But I offered."
"Still." Tsuna gives Basil a disapproving look and huffs when Basil just smiles back in that way that he usually does: fond yet mysterious at the same time, like he knows something Tsuna doesn't. When Tsuna asks where they will sleep, both merely shrug in response, Takeshi easily scales up a tree and settling on one of its branches while Basil sits a few feet away. Tsuna makes an indignant noise, rant ready at the tip of his tongue when exhaustion suddenly sweeps over his entire being.
The last he hears are two voices bidding him good night.
Basil had taken the first watch. By the time that he's ready to pass over his duty, Takeshi is already awake. He doesn't move right away to settle for the night, instead waiting for the words that Takeshi has been holding in during the day.
"It's curious when someone is so wary at the thought of returning to his hometown." Basil tries not to be daunted by Takeshi's stare, his eyes seeming even bluer now in the light of the moon.
He shifts from where he's sitting a few feet away from Tsuna, a poor attempt at stalling. "It's not the place that worries him," is what he decides to say. As expected, it earns him an annoyed grunt.
"I gathered that much from father's warning," Takeshi grumbles. He stays quiet for a while after that, leading Basil to think that was that for the night until Takeshi continues, "You speak of him with familiarity that's unusual for someone who just met another person for the first time. Especially for someone as reserved as you." The words are said with the blandest tone that Basil has so far heard from Takeshi, though there's no mistaking the underlying accusation in them. The jealousy.
Basil's lips twitch slightly, a prelude to a smile that will not appear. "It's a good thing that he doesn't do the same for me, isn't it?"
A bird screeches in the distance, and Basil feels a bit of his hurt subside at the guilt that flashes in Takeshi's face before he averts his gaze.
Tsuna doesn't know what happened exactly. He had been too preoccupied by the dread that rapidly spread through his body the moment he saw the gates of Vongola, A yard away from the steel gates the three of them dismounted from their horses, each step closer to his hometown more agonizing than the last as Tsuna's legs gradually turn to lead. At his side, Tsuna could sense Takeshi's concerned gaze then and—
"Stop!" Both figures no more than five feet away from him freeze, one with their fist on the air and the other lying on the ground with their arms raised in defense. Tsuna tries to move toward them when he notices blue scales on the fallen figure's hands, gasping when the arm around his middle pulls him back. "Stop!" he screams again. "Get away from Basil!"
Tsuna wonders if they even hear him. Takeshi leapt back quite far when Basil was struck, taking Tsuna with him. When nothing happens, Tsuna inhales deeply and forces out the one word that hasn't passed his lips in a long time. "Dad!"
It's only then that the man standing above Basil slowly lowers his arm. His expression is hard to discern, but Tsuna decides not to dwell on it as he finally breaks free from Takeshi's hold and runs toward Basil. His knees sting as he falls next to the dragon and he has no doubt that he'll have a bruises come tomorrow.
"I'm all right," Basil manages from behind his hand as he wipes away the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. Red peeks out from under his sleeve, Tsuna's eyes being drawn to it for a split second. He has no doubt that another set of eyes saw it, too, if the rage emanating from the blond man behind him was anything to go by.
Tsuna nods at Basil, steels himself as best as he can, and forces himself to stand up on shaky legs. He then offers his hand to help Basil up, not quite managing a smile in return for the unproportional amount of gratitude in those blue eyes. Taking another deep breath, he faces his father, angling himself so that Basil is somewhat shielded by him. Tsuna tilts his chin up to meet eyes that are the same hue as his yet still so drastically different. There's a lump in his throat that's preventing him from speaking, not really a surprise given who the one standing before him is.
Because, truly, what does one say to a father that you never see for more than once every five years?
"That was a really shitty greeting, Iemitsu," is what he finally says. His voice is quiet, ensuring that the only human that can hear him is Iemitsu. Even he can't hear himself over the pounding of his heartbeat against his ears. "Should I brace myself, too?"
Iemitsu's lips press together into a thin line, his frown deepening. "You don't know why—"
"Yes, I don't know why," Tsuna interrupts him. "I'm very much aware that I don't know a lot of things, so I'd very much appreciate it if you can start enlightening me by giving me a reason as to why you punched Basil."
"It doesn't—" The man shuts his mouth abruptly, effectively cutting off what he's just about to say. He regards his son with weary eyes, the anger having trickled out of him while he waited for Tsuna to speak earlier. His gaze lifts for a second toward the space above Tsuna's shoulders, the tense lines of his shoulders returning almost instantly.
"We'll talk about this later," Iemitsu says. He is wholly unprepared at the rekindled anger in Tsuna's eyes, his own anger dampening at his mind catching up at the realization that he is the one on the receiving end of his son's ire.
"By later you mean never, right?" The words are spoken like venom, bringing to mind the many times that Iemitsu have used the phrase in the past.
And then Oregano is suddenly there at Iemitsu's side, keeping Iemitsu from replying to his son. Later, he will see it as a small blessing, for it's apparent that whatever he had to say would do nothing to help him get into his son's good graces. "Boss, you're being called," Oregano tells him though her eyes are on Tsuna. When he looks at her, she continues, "The Vongola Nono also told me to pass the message that he will meet Tsuna after he has had the chance to rest."
"That's very gracious of him," Tsuna blurts out, not yet feeling horrified at how sarcastic his tone is.
Oregano might have smiled then if not for the tension still hanging in the air. "Turmeric will take care of your horses. I'm sure you three are weary from the travel, and I know someone who's very eager to see you home, Tsuna."
Tsuna nods, finally breaking his gaze from his father's to walk past him. He's sure that Basil and Takeshi are following, can hear their footsteps just right behind him. Iemitsu doesn't do anything to stop them or try to punch Basil again which Tsuna is marginally thankful for. There's no more energy left in him in case his father decides that he hasn't put Basil through enough for whatever unknown offense he has committed.
It's mostly a blur for him once they get past the gates of Vongola. His feet lead them toward the familiar streets of Vongola, Tsuna's body moving automatically while his mind flies. A few passersby have slowed down to take a look at him and at the two people following him, their eyebrows quirked up and tongues loose, ready to spew mocking words at him. Tsuna pays them no mind, the fountain with the coins glittering at its bottom proving to be a much more interesting sight instead.
They don't take too long to arrive at their destination, Tsuna running ahead toward an unremarkable house of modest size. Despite its plainness it looks warm and welcoming. Takeshi looks up at it in wonder, disbelieving how much it reminds him of Tsuna. Beside him, Basil is doing the same, except that trepidation is mixed in with his wonder. His trepidation is increased when the front door opens just as he and Takeshi stop a few paces behind Tsuna, watching as their new tamer is suddenly engulfed in a hug.
"Oh, Tsuna, you're home, you're home," the woman sobs into Tsuna's neck, her grip around him near suffocating. Tsuna closes his eyes and inhales deeply, allowing himself to get lost in her warmth and scent, his body relaxing as it finally recognizes that he's home.
They stay like that until the sound of shuffling feet reaches his ears, reminding Tsuna that they're not alone. Tsuna then tries to force an embarrassed laugh out as he pats his mother's back awkwardly. "Yes, yes, I'm home, mom. But can you please let me breathe now?"
Nana obliges, even if it's just to release Tsuna long enough so that she can wipe her tears with her sleeves. "It's because you suddenly stopped writing letters! And you stayed far longer than you should have!" she scolds him, jabbing him lightly in the side.
"Well, about that…" Tsuna steps to the side, revealing Takeshi and Basil to his mother. He takes in the widening of her eyes, the hitch in her breath. She knows, of course she knows.
"Are they—" Nana swallows thickly, and the smile that she tries to put on appears more like a grimace. "Dear me, you should've told me you have guests with you."
"You tried to choke me before giving me the chance to speak," Tsuna replies in an attempt to be cheeky. His mother doesn't notice, her usual playful reprimand missing as she continues staring back and forth between the two dragons. It unsettles Tsuna how Nana's eyes linger on Basil, how her knuckles turn to white as she tightens her grip on her faded lavender apron, and at the way that Basil resolutely avoids meeting her gaze.
It's takes Nana a minute to gather her bearings, her smile looking less like a grimace as she opens the door behind her wider and invites them in. The two of them share a glance, Takeshi shrugging uneasily as he goes first and dips his head low as he introduces himself to Nana by the doorway. Basil, on the other hand, stays rooted on his spot. He looks as though he's lost in a memory, eyes staring unseeingly at the door.
When Tsuna calls him, his voice tired and worried- confused- Basil snaps back to the present. His pace is quick as he approaches Tsuna and reassures him that he's fine, that it's just the fatigue of their travel from Namimori catching up on him. He puts on an apologetic smile, one that is directed not at Tsuna but at the woman behind him. Tsuna misses it for what it truly is, already assuring Basil that he has nothing to be sorry for. Basil is thankful for it, painfully aware that neither he nor Nana are ready for this conversation yet.
"Massimo has been found, a cold body filled with the cold water that claimed his life."
Iemitsu presses the heel of his palms against his closed eyes. It does little to help with his headache, but the momentary darkness it provides him is a welcome reprieve no matter how short. "What of Enrico?" he asks.
The silence that he's met with is answer enough, Iemitsu exhaling through his nose as he moves both hands through his hair. It's a miracle that he hasn't yet hit any of the hard liquor that's decorating the bar across him. His tremendously less-than-pleasant reunion with his son immediately followed by the report of two of the Vongola Nono's successors missing should have done the trick already, and it's making Iemitsu dread what else Timoteo has to say. He has an inkling that whatever comes next will be the straw that will break the camel's back.
"I'm pulling Xanxus back inside Vongola's walls and..." Iemitsu braces himself because there's more. "A message has been sent to one of our trusted allies for his help in mentoring."
An unbidden laugh escapes him, painfully mirthless as Iemitsu says, "You waste no time, don't you?" His hands form into fists, itching to collide with something- someone that would break.
"We need more men now in the field more than ever." Timoteo doesn't glance at him, his back the one receiving the brunt of Iemitsu's glare. "The reports from the coasts closest to the territory of Milliefiore are becoming more and more...alarming as time passes. They may cover up whatever they're doing with their smiles and abundance of bouquets, but those can't disguise the unrest that they've raised in the other nations. Not that I think they're aiming really hard for that; one can suggest that their leader is enjoying the discomfort that they've caused."
"And you intend to thrust my son in the middle of...of this?" The words leave a bitter taste at Iemitsu's mouth, further amplified by the knowledge that there's nothing he can do to delay the inevitable.
Not with Tsuna coming home with two dragons in tow.
yes everything is a cliffhanger im sorry i'll try my best to answer some of these questions and then get back to nagi and mukuro
Hopefully I will have better grasp of what I want for the future chapters to be since a year of contemplation did change a lot in my outlines.
Regarding some questions raised from the previous chapters:
• How is Mukuro communicating with Tsuna?
• Through his dreams.
• Which types of dragons have been shown so far?
• Apparently, I have given the impression that there's a Sky dragon that has been introduced/currently in the time frame. I apologize if that is the case, because the only dragons (shifters) that have been introduced so far are: Rain (Takeshi and Basil), Cloud (Oregano), Sun (Turmeric), and Mist (Mukuro).
• The characters are very far off their canon selves!
• They...they are. The most that I've altered are Basil and Timoteo, because I feel like they were mostly "filler" characters in the canon and therefore have more room for their personalities to be tweaked with.
• Are Dying Will Flames a part of the story?
• No, but their attributes/characteristics are.
• Are all of Tsuna's Guardians going to be dragons?
• No. I didn't want to overload the story with dragons.
• Is Tsuna a dragon?
• ...no…...he isn't