CHAPTER 22: HE WOULDN'T SAY THAT
Whenever Tsuna thought of flame training, he would've brought up the image of grueling hours shedding sweat, tears of frustration, and tempting, almost disturbing, small pleasures of continuation for the sake of becoming stronger. It was what he expected, and yet, a part of him didn't want to endure such things, his conscious kept telling him how he was just a normal boy and nothing more. It was this trail of thought that often kept him busy in the long hours alone in his room.
Tsuna began to question if he really was normal, if he really did belong in Namimori all his life. And to his personal feelings of home, he did. But it was rational to think; why did he have flames? Was it normal for everyone to have one? Was he always a freak to start with? But maybe it was just dumb luck that Lussuria came knocking on his door before he could dwell longer on those dangerous revelations. Lussuria, bubbly and flaunting as always, explained to Tsuna that for the rest of the week he would be taking care of him. 'Taking care' was probably the nicest way the man could put it.
Gallantly waving an arm, Lussuria asked him to follow, recommending that he should not run away. He didn't need to be told that, Tsuna was smart enough to know that the possibilities of him actually escaping from Lussuria despite the man's blunt fondness of him would be nil. He only nodded, smiling when Lussuria didn't walk ahead, but next to him. Xanxus would always be three steps ahead. The man chatted elatedly and Tsuna allowed himself to hum and nod at the right moments needed, barely listening. But in truth, he was studying their environment. Frieda usually would lead him to and from the dining room, never anywhere else, and Tsuna was eager to take up this opportunity to study it now.
The moment after a few turns Tsuna realized something very dreadful. He was lost. Had not his companion been there, he would've been lost. The stone walls and the same monotonous flushed color of the rugs made it seem like they were going no where. Only the occasional large paintings and pedestals with decorational vases were the only things that kept the entire castle from looking like a symmetrical mass of stone.
Giving up on his failed observations, Tsuna decided to engage his part in the conversation, "Lussuria, where are we going?" He interrupted the man's rant politely.
Lussuria paused, a bit faltered at Tsuna's sudden question before jumping to answer excitedly, "Oh, the greenhouse. Or more specifically, we're going to go out to the fields."
"I see," Tsuna said simply, wondering what a greenhouse without a sun would be like. It was ridiculous the castle even had one. Xanxus didn't really strike him to be the flower-loving boss of the Varia.
"We have to go through the back, it's out there you see. I spend some of my time taking care of the plants."
Finally, after some turns and barely any change in the scenery, they stopped reached a lonely wooden door in a corridor much like the others. Tsuna swallowed thickly, knowing fully well that beyond the door would be the outside. He didn't know how long he has been in the castle, but he knew it was long enough to almost forget what the outside felt like. Lussuria turned to look at him, but he was unable to see what the man was really thinking as he leveled Tsuna's expression. The sunglasses made Lussuria's eyes completely out of sight, so all Tsuna saw was the still line of his mouth. Finally, taking a slow hand, Lussuria reached out to the wobbly copper-colored knob and twisted his wrist.
Instantly, Tsuna felt the musty air, Cielo's usual suberbanl scent, assaulted his nose through the small crack Lussuria produced from the door as he pushed. Widening the crack until it was open for both of them, Tsuna then realized how much he didn't really miss out. Cielo smelled the same, in the castle and out. It sorely disappointed him but he shook it off. The real air he wanted to smell wasn't in this world, but his own. His eyes didn't need adjusting either. The light was the same because there was no sun to feel, no clouds that shaded him. It reminded him how disturbing Cielo's sky really was.
"This way," Lussuria said after a moment of letting Tsuna stand there. Snapping out of his reverie, he followed the multi-colored man into the greenhouse. The scenery around him changed drastically as he stepped out. It was like walking into a dream. The greenhouse was connected to the back of the castle, its glass ceilings stood tall and proud from far above him, and he gazed up at them in wonder. The glass had a slight green tint to it from the inside, mostly reflecting the little light the plants gave off. The plants, all colorful, but not because of its own natural hues but by the lights the flames produced from them. Rows and rows of flamed plants lined the greenhouse, a vine-sun-flamed arch hung delicately over their heads as they passed and Tsuna paused for a moment to stare at it. They walked to almost the end of the glass house and Lussuria stopped, waiting until the boy caught up from behind, the sound of his footsteps hitting the cobblestone resonating through the glass house.
"Tsuna-chan," He began as the boy got in close enough to hear, "Do you see these flowers in front of us?" Lussuria struck a finger to six potted flowers in front of them, each of the same wild-flower-like species but each with a different flame. They sat on a lone long white-painted table, he could tell it was crafted poorly, because as Lussuria put a gentle hand on it, but table creaked and leaned away from just his slightest touch.
Peeping from over the other's pointed arm at the assorted rainbow of flowers, Tsuna nodded, "Yes."
"I'm going to let you study these flames. You notice that every one of these flowers has a different attribute? I want you to see the difference between them."
"Well," Tsuna began uncertainly, "I…um…I can see them. Blue, red, green—"
"Oh no!" Lussuria guffawed to himself, "I want you to touch them."
"Oh, okay." Tsuna said quietly, reaching a hand to touch the red flame. His mouth twisted in confusion as he thought. What was the point in this? His fingers flexed under the tingling warmth.
"Tsuna-chan," The multi-colored man spoke, "I don't think you understand."
Perplexed on what exactly he could be doing wrong, he retracted his hand and turned his body fully around to look at Lussuria, "You wanted me to touch them, right?" Whatever he said, it was obvious Lussuria's patience was thinning. He was pretty sure the man was normally patient, but something about him was probably shocking him. "Am I missing something here?"
Lussuria hummed, putting a gloved hand to cradle his chin in thought, "Tsuna-chan, what I'm teaching you right now is very, very basic. In fact, it's so basic even children know this. You're…you're already…" Lussuria's eyebrows furrowed as he looked from head to toe down at Tsuna, "…How old are you?"
"…Fourteen." Tsuna answered automatically, then added hesitantly after a pause, "I think." Did October past already? Was he fifteen? Sixteen? He didn't know anymore. It felt like he was here for ages as far as he was concerned. He huffed to himself inwardly. Ironic how he was always dreaming for a uneventful birthday and now he didn't even know how old he was and he was stuck in another world for that matter.
His uncertainty only added fuel to the fires of Lussuria's curiosity, "You…don't know how old you are?"
Tsuna shook his head in retrospect. This conversation was getting too personal to his tastes. Mustering up the most confident voice, he spoke with finality, "No, I'm fourteen." …I think. He added again silently.
Lussuria looked doubtful but thankfully continued, "Anyway the point isn't just to touch them, Tsuna-chan, you must feel their spirits. Tsuna-chan, you're only using your eyes. You must realize that you musn't use your eyes too much. That will be your downfall." Reaching into his coat pocket, Lussuria fished out another sunglasses, a very similar style to the pair the man was wearing now, but smaller, as if…they're…"These are for you." Ah. He thought so.
Tsuna took them gently from Lussuria's hands, and with uncertain hands, he placed them over his eyes. He blinked into the darkness. These weren't sunglasses. This—this was like a blindfold! Lifting them to peer at Lussuria, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "So what you're saying is that you want me to wear these so I can't see the color."
"For now. Then I'll just allow you to close your eyes during the real stuff."
Adjusting them over his nose tightly, Tsuna spun on his heels to stare at the spot he believed the flowers to be. He felt the table blindly, and stood in front of the storm-flamed flower. He was just about to try again before Lussuria's voice made him pause, "Remember Tsuna-chan," Lussuria said warningly, "You need to feel their spirits, feel why they are who they are. Understand that they have personalities, like us. It is what makes flames so potent."
Feel their spirits. Feel their spirits. Tsuna told himself silently as he stroked the flower's petals with gentle, almost ghostly fingers. The storm flamed convulsed from under his touch, its flames leaping up. Chaotic…messy, a flurry. It was the words that could describe the storm-flame. He never touched a red flame before, it was something to remember though. He wondered if the storm attribute should be considered angry. Chaotic yes, but anger? It would certainly fit the image but something inside him told him otherwise. The storm flame wasn't angry, just…something else…"I think I get it, Lussuria!" Tsuna exclaimed.
"Good, good!" Lussuria laughed, sounding relieved, "I thought I was being a bad teacher."
"No, no." Tsuna was quick to disagree. "This is…er…a lot safer than I expected."
Lussuria laughed and said jokingly, "Enjoy it while you can."
Tsuna didn't laugh but did move to the blue flame. Like with the other flower, he mimicked his movements earlier, ghostly touching the flower and flame. The rain attribute was soft and gentle, a calm soothing warmth that Tsuna loved instantly. But rain was described in many ways. It can be sad, refreshing. So many definitions for one attribute, he honestly wasn't sure what he felt about it. But it did feel nice against his hands. So he let his appendage stay there longer than necessary but eventually he moved to the green one next to it. He planned to hover his hand and lower it slowly onto the flame like the others, but with a hiss he retracted his hand as the flame struck out at him with a quick whip, ironically, as fast as lightening.
"What's wrong?" Lussuria asked worriedly.
"That hurt." Tsuna said, frowning at the lightening flame.
"Oh," The man nodded, relieved it was something trivial, "Don't worry. They're like that. They don't really hurt, it just makes it seem like it hurt you. It only took you by surprise is all."
Biting his lip, Tsuna reached out again, and the lightening flame snapped at him again, but it didn't hurt. Lussuria was right; he had imagined the sting from earlier. The flame was restless, moving rapidly around like a laughing child. Tsuna sat down on his bottom, tired of crouching. Taking the potted sun-flamed flower, he placed it closer. "Ah. I like this one." It was like feeling the sun again. It was the closest warmth of the sun he ever felt since he came here. It was wonderful, and he didn't need the sunglasses to close his eyes. He imagined himself back home, sitting in the porch with his friends. Or one of those lazy days at the parks. The sun was energetic, a warm happier feel than the others he felt.
Lussuria only clapped and flit around with glee, "Of course! I have the sun flame you know!"
"I see," Tsuna said absentmindedly. It was no wonder he didn't seem afraid of Lussuria at all. A bit perturbed at his taste of clothes, but he liked him nonetheless.
He looked at the remaining potted flowers. The dark indigo and the purple ones. He realized, that there was no orange-flamed flower among the assorted plants. Xanxus had told him that sky flames were rather rare, so it wasn't surprising that they weren't among the greenhouse. Setting down the sun flamed flower, he scooted closer to the dark colored flames. After a long contemplation he settled with the mist flame first, and reached his hand to the almost-opaque flame. Of course, he felt this one before. The very first time he touched a flame was then Mukuro allowed him to touch his trident. The familiarly cool-flame felt chilly and clammy under his fingers. It was warm, like the others, yet in a strange way, was cold too.
It was seriously nothing new to him, and he was confident he could identify a mist flame when he saw one. But…he looked to the strong, potent, purple fire that looked like it was devouring the flower it hosted. His mind couldn't help but wander back nights and nights ago. The most terrifying moment in his life, when—when that same colored flame just shot out of nowhere and the agonizingly frightening feeling that followed shortly after of falling into complete darkness. He would never forget it, it was hard to. He had uneasy feelings about this flame and uneasy feelings were usually things Tsuna didn't dwell too long on. One of those uneasy feelings involved Hibari often. He shook his head. Honestly, he thought about Hibari so much it couldn't possibly be healthy. Tsuna reached for the flame, pushing the thoughts of the boogie man in the far corners of his mind, his concentration on reality resurfacing.
What surprised him was the movement it made. The firey cloud moved away from his touch, its flame splitting in half to avoid physical contact. For a moment, Tsuna was stunned into confusion before he reached again, and again, the cloud flame bended away.
"The cloud flame," Lussuria's voice broke through the silence abruptly, and Tsuna jumped in shock, he had forgotten the man was also watching, "Is…very complex. Far complex than the others. Most would say otherwise, the mist flame can seem like it has more mechanical functions than this flame does. But usually the cloud flame are born from the minds of tragical people."
"Tragical people?" Tsuna repeated, "What do you mean?"
Lussuria's voice went lower, quieter, and it was rather obvious that he was serious as he explained, "…They…often push themselves away from others. Surely you've heard of the expression, 'it is better to be feared than loved'?"
He paused, waiting for Tsuna to nod. When he did, he looked to the cloud-flamed flower and continued, "Cloud flames, are the strongest. That is because they have no weaknesses. They keep no one dear, no one to create a blind spot. They may be free, they may be unfettered but in the end, they are chained down by their own hearts."
Lussuria quieted down, letting the words sink into the air and into Tsuna's comprehension. He laughed nervously, lightening the mood just by a notch, "But that's just my own opinion. I think, that in truth they're looking solely for the purpose of something to free them of their fate. Something that can help them overcome the insane solitude. The flame of loneliness. That is the cloud flame's true spirit. Sad, isn't it?"
"It is…" Tsuna agreed, swallowing thickly, as he too looked to the cloud-flower, wondering why Lussuria's words struck him hard in his chest.
"Let's take a seat over there," Lussuria gestured to a wooden bench under an array of vines and flowers, putting a guiding hand to Tsuna's shoulder. He allowed himself to be tugged upwards, and pushed onto the seat and Lussuria collapsed onto it next to him, the bench creaking under his abrupt weight.
Surrounded by plants and nature, sitting without a care in the world, it was hard to believe he was being held captive in a castle in another world. Hard to believe that he was away from his home, his family and friends. He wanted to get back more than anything in the world. He looked up, through the glass and at the gray dull sky. If that was considered a sky, that was. He looked to Lussuria, "I've been meaning to ask, why do you have a glass greenhouse? I mean…well, they're isn't…a sun to…er…help."
Lussuria frowned, and Tsuna pushed back the paranoia that he may have asked something rather strange. "You're right. Why is there a glass greenhouse? I think the answer is pretty simple. This castle has been here for a rather long time. Some of the servants here have been the descendants of the Old Cielo. There is a rumor that this castle was actually the property of one of the four royalties. Which one was it…?"
Tsuna jerked to look at Lussuria's thoughtful expression, and apparently the man saw this but didn't question his surprised expression. Lussuria knows that fairytale? Well, Mukuro said it was pretty common knowledge around here. After a short moment of silence, the multi-colored man exclaimed loudly, putting a fist in his other hand in revelation, "I think it was the King of Diamonds or something. Yes, he owned this castle and back then there was a sun. This glass garden used to be dead actually, until I came along and used my flames. Oh, I've been told that the food used to suck before I came along. We grow our own food. We have a field of tomatoes and corn and everything! All because of me, you know!"
"I see." Tsuna nodded. So that was how they ate around here. They raised their own food themselves.
At bit disappointed at Tsuna's lack of response, Lussuria sat back down slowly, and crossed his legs as he absently looked around his work. They sat there for a long time, and Tsuna was almost sure maybe thirty minutes passed by until he spoke again. "Lussuria, why do you wear sunglasses?"
It always bothered him, he wanted to ask for a while now, but he wasn't entirely sure if it would be considered rude. Why did you need sunglasses when there was no sun? Lussuria only hummed absentmindedly before answering, "Well, you see, I'm blind."
"What!" Tsuna exclaimed, his neck turned to look at Lussuria, wondering if he could see his appalled face at the moment. "You are?"
"No, well. I was only kidding. I can see perfectly well. I just never use my eyes a lot anymore."
"So your sunglasses are like these?" Tsuna asked, holding up his own pair.
"Yup. Its like…other Varia members that use clothes with weights on it. This is my own training. My other senses are up to par. I can feel you, feel your expressions, and ironically, I guess I can see you in a way. I mean, how else would I know how hot a guy is?" He laughed, and looked at Tsuna expectantly.
He wondered if Lussuria ever saw his replying smile.
—
"Hibari Kyoya never had legitimate parents. He also has never had a certificate of his birth. Apparently he was not born in a hospital. But that is very common. Our society is trash. No one bothers with such unnecessary things as certificate."
"That's not possible," Tsuna insisted, "Everyone has parents. Whether you know them or not, they give you life. Hibari-san has parents out there. Whether they are in Cielo or in heaven."
"Heaven?" Xanxus repeated, snorting, "There is no such thing as heaven. If there is, no one will ever go to it. We'll all go to hell. Humans are disgusting trash that don't deserve relief after death."
—
"Are you ready for this?"
Tsuna only nodded nervously, not able to trust his voice to reply. Soon a week had past, and finally, Lussuria's test has arrived. Today, Tsuna had woken up to find the usually ecstatic individual at his door, and chillingly, the man wasn't smiling. He guessed these tests were to be taken seriously. Unlike all the tests at school, these weren't words on paper. He didn't need a pencil or a textbook; this was something entirely different. Lussuria calmly explained to him that these tests may endanger his well-being. He didn't understand what he had meant, but honestly, the possible reasons of why frightened him.
"I'll go over it again, just to be sure," Lussuria said, looking up and down at Tsuna's appearance. He had told Tsuna to abandon the matching blazer that was suppose to go with his shorts and wear the most comfortable shoes he had. Tsuna rolled up his long sleeves, and tugged uncomfortably at the hem of his untucked shirt.
"I want you to take this," Lussuria gestured to a wooden wheelbarrow to the side of them, "And find me six different sunflowers and put them in there." He pointed to the sunflower field in front of them, its tall stalks easily towering over Tsuna's head. The field, went as long and far as his eyes could see. The flowers themselves were shrouded by the sun-flames, he didn't see any other colors, only yellow, yellow and more yellow. He couldn't see an end to it; it was as if there was none. "However I need certain sunflowers. One of the sun, cloud, mist, rain, lightening, and storm flames. Got it?" After nodding stiffly, Lussuria chuckled to himself, "The sun sunflower should be the easiest. Allow me?"
Lussuria walked to the edge of the forest, his boots scuffing up the dry soil on the surface. His gloved hands wrapped around the thick stalk and with an abrupt jerk, Lussuria pulled. The damp soil that clung frustratingly to the thread-like roots tumbled onto the dry soil, which drank in the remaining moisture the fresh soil had greedily. Lussuria tapped the roots, shaking the flower a bit to shake off the remaining dirt before making his way back to Tsuna and gently placed the sun-flamed sunflower into the wheelbarrow.
"Alright. Here, take these," Reaching deep into his coat pocket, Lussuria fished out a pair of cream-colored leather gloves. It looked very thick, and very worn. "You need gardening gloves. It's a…bit difficult to uproot them." Tsuna took the pair, slipping them on. It looked ridiculously big on him. The inside was cottony, and already, his palms became slick with sweat.
"Ready?"
Breathing in, then out, Tsuna smiled shakily up at Lussuria, "Yeah. I think."
"That's the spirit," Lussuria smiled widely, slapping a hand against his back, "Remember, all six. There is no time limit…but…well, maybe there is one."
"Huh?" Tsuna prompted, "What time limit?"
"You'll find out. Get going, Tsuna-chan! All six safe and sound!"
"Alright," Tsuna gripped the wheelbarrow's handles, and pushed, amazingly it was pretty well-made to be so light and easy to hold. "Here I go."
With an encouraging whoop from Lussuria, he entered the forest of sunflowers, following the single dirt road that lead him deeper. He looked back after maybe twenty steps to see Lussuria still waving animatedly, his figure looking increasingly like an ant with more distance. He paused in his actions as Lussuria cupped his hands to yell. His mouth moved, and fluttered wildly. Tsuna furrow his eyebrows, and nodded. Lussuria smiled, his hands on his hips. With a final wave, Tsuna pushed further deeper, until Lussuria was well out of sight.
—
"Why did you tell him a hint?" Lussuria ceased his waving, turning to look at the backdoor of the greenhouse. Bel had his hands in his pockets, and he strolled casually to stand next to Lussuria, scanning the thin dirt trail for any signs of Tsuna.
"…I don't think he heard me."
"That's good," Bel snickered as he leaned against the dark fence separating them from the sunflower field, "You weren't supposed to tell him anyways."
"He's so defenseless. You think he can make it out?" Lussuria questioned worriedly. "Do you think he can really make it back in time?"
"The kid seemed…reluctant. Not that I blame him, he's here against his own will. Which brings the question; the boss bought him for a lot of money. Did you know he canceled that ridiculously expensive order for another grand hall? He spent that money on that kid. I heard he bought him at an illegal auction down on enemy territory."
"I hear that rumor a lot too…" Lussuria muttered, "I wonder…if Tsuna-chan is really worth that much money. The boss thinks he's rather promising, er, in his own way he does. But the time I've had with him so far, I honestly can't see what's so special about him. He seems like a normal child to me. I mean, as cute as they go, that's pretty much all he is."
"Maybe he has a little boy-complex?" Bel snorted jokingly, but Lussuria could see he looked around cautiously as he said it, it was hardly any coincidence that those who chose to verbally backhand their leader didn't live to tell the tale. "Who knows? But maybe, if he makes it out of there without our help…then I believe we have a keeper here. Boss wouldn't bring him here without reason after all."
"You're right, Bel. I honestly hope he makes it out. I really like him."
"…Ushishi. I thought you liked older men." The blond prince replied after a short pause.
"Ha," Lussuria scoffed, "He's just too charming, you just can't help it."
—
It wasn't until Tsuna decided that he needed to start searching he realized that he was in quite a predicament. If he abandoned this dirt trail here to look for the flowers then how would he get back? The thin dirt line was the only thing that led him back to Lussuria in the castle and he really wasn't sure what would happen if he became lost. The thought was intimidating. He wanted to ask Lussuria. It wasn't as if he was lost. He really wasn't. All he had to do was turn completely around and go back. But that would be the same as admitting defeat.
The stalks were tall, very, very tall. And it was hard to see or hear anything other than the rustle of the plants. No one would hear his cry for help.
That was another thing that bothered him. The silence of the field. It perturbed him, because the only thing that would be making the noise was him, which is if he summed up the courage to step away from the dirt trail. And he honestly wasn't sure what else was out there. It was just a sunflower field, there couldn't be anything other than himself and the flowers here. But he had seen too many movies of teenagers getting killed one by one in isolated corn stalks to actually have the courage to support that theory.
This was ridiculous! He told himself stubbornly, as he stepped into the forest with a hammering heart. Pushing at the flowers gently away for him to move, he sent a fleeting glance at the lone wooden wheelbarrow. All he had to do was go straight. Go completely straight. No turns, then he'd just turn right around and go straight back. Simple. He couldn't possibly get lost that way. He stared at the green leaves, wondering if he should make a mark. No, no. He wouldn't need to. Just go straight forward then straight back. It was foolproof. Absolutely.
He tried to push back the fact that it sounded like he was trying to convince himself that.
Tsuna sighed, then looked up at the yellow-enflamed sunflower sitting droopingly in the wheelbarrow. He blinked at it, wondering if he was seeing things.
The flame…looked like it was dying. Oh god, Tsuna realized. His blood pumped thickly in his veins as he indulged in it more. This is what Lussuria meant by the time limit. He never asked, but he wasn't stupid to not suspect what happens to a flower when uprooted. They die. And with Cielo's weather, they die rather quickly. And along with that, it may not be too far off to assume that the flame would die with it.
Time limit. If he dawdled too long, then the sunflowers he uprooted would die! "No problem, no problem." He muttered to himself as he forced himself to move further away. Shoving more sunflowers out of his way, he scanned the flower petals, for any signs of any color other than the same monotonous yellow.
It didn't take long for his mind to wander as he looked about the towering flower forest. The color yellow reminded him a lot of Hibird. He wondered if he was being fed properly. If Hibari had him at the moment. Maybe his parents were taking care of it while he was away. He cringed at the thought of his parents. What would he say when he came back? They'd ground him for the rest of his life! His parents were never strict, but he knew how flustered they'd get when he worried them enough.
"They must be putting missing posters up somewhere." Tsuna groaned out his statement, as he played it through his mind. His father would go to the local news station and ask them to flaunt his picture throughout national TV. His embarrassing school picture would be pinned up everywhere in Namimori, the one where he smiled all goofily because Yamamoto happened to make him laugh from behind the camera man.
He knew they'd choose that one because his mom said she liked it the best. Said that he looked natural as he laughed.
For pictures, he'd usually just do a closed-mouthed smile. That one he was showing his teeth. Well, at least it wasn't as horrible as Gokudera's. Every year, his friend would usually just make a face at the camera. But despite this, he was still the eye-candy of the female student body mass. It was quite impressive how each year his fans continued to grow no matter how ugly his friend would make his picture.
Yamamoto would smile all the time, picture or not. And he wondered how he was doing. By now he was pretty sure Yamamoto was still looking for him with his parents…looking for him and…Gokudera, maybe. Maybe he was at home…Maybe…what if Gokudera was at home? Then surely, someone would come to him! Gokudera would've—would've…
He didn't know how long he was walking, but finally, he stopped, panting and sweaty. His breathing became rapid without him noticing. Was it because he was thinking too hard while walking? It was hard not to think when you're surrounded by the same scenery. How long had he been walking? Tsuna reached into his pocket, opening his pocket watch. It's been almost an hour since he left. Had he really been walking in a straight line for that long? "Turn around. Turn right around," He grounded out to himself, and he did, as perfect as he could and began walking from whence he came.
This was seriously a terrible start. He didn't find at least one flower in an hour. He was doomed, absolutely doomed. Suddenly, it felt like the flowers were mocking him, it felt like they were too close for comfort, and frighteningly, he felt like he couldn't breathe right. Wanting nothing more than have an open clear space to stand in, Tsuna began to run, his one hand slapping clumsily against the stalks. Why wasn't he there yet? He checked his watch, still clutched tightly in his hand, he should've been there by now! He has already been walking and running straight back for thirty minutes! Tsuna stopped abruptly, dropping to his knees.
It was maddening. Something was disturbing his thinking. Was it the flowers? No, it couldn't be…this…what was this? No. No. He had to clear his mind. Closing his eyes, Tsuna breathed in and out. He forced himself to think rationally. To think of it, this was a very odd test. What did finding flowers have to do what he did this week? It was…it was to…
To enhance his senses other than his sight.
That was it. That's it! Tsuna stood up, knees still shaky from the nearly leg-breaking run. Lussuria said that he used his sight too much. He relied on it too much. He thought too much. He needed to feel the spirits of the flames, not see them! Of course! It was so simple, it was stupid of him not to realize it sooner. But how was he supposed to feel them? He needed to touch them or?—or, hear them?
No, no, that didn't seem right. It wasn't a matter of touching. It was about sensing. Or in other words…Tsuna slapped a gloved palm to his forehead. Rely completely on his gut feeling. So Lussuria's training the entire time was to enhance his gut feeling? It was preposterous, but he couldn't help but feel that it was exactly what Lussuria wanted.
Then, like a tug in his chest, Tsuna moved, almost in a trance to a random direction. What he was doing was probably, through another person's eyes, be considered stupid. But his heart told him otherwise. He would trust his heart, always had, and probably, always will. Then he saw it. It was so miraculous that Tsuna almost believed he imagined it. A small, blue speck hidden among a cluster of yellow. He jogged towards it, mindful of the flowers and he breathed out with relief. A rain-flamed sunflower.
He ran his hand around the long stalk. It was a blue-flamed sunflower. He wanted to take a break then, just grateful he managed to find at least one out of pure luck, but knew better. If he stopped now the strange hysterics he had earlier might happen again. Positioning his legs firmly on either side of the flower, Tsuna dug his toes into the soil. He wrapped both gloved hands at the stem and pulled. He grunted, and Tsuna blinked once, realizing that pulling a sunflower rawly from the ground was much more challenging than he had thought.
He tugged again, and frowned at the flower. Lussuria had made it look so easy…Inhaling deeply, Tsuna pulled harder, his arms straining slightly and finally got it loose.
He shook the dirt off lightly and cradled the sunflower in his arms. It wasn't heavy, but he was pretty sure it'd slow him down. He wished he had the wheelbarrow now. How was he ever going to carry six of these? Straightening his posture, he marched to another completely random direction. Time to hunt for some sunflowers.
—
It was exactly two hours and a half later Lussuria stood up abruptly.
"What?" Bel sat up just as quickly at the shocked tone of his companion's voice, the bench creaking underneath him, "What is it?" He repeated when the man next to him didn't answer right away. He blinked through his bangs to look up at Lussuria. He had his hand over his mouth, but even without seeing the man's eyes, he could tell that something was wrong.
"He's back." The multi-colored man managed.
"Not possible." Bel laughed, examining Lussuria as he stood up to look at the sunflower field. He peered through the yellow forest, searching for a mass of brown hair among the flowers, "Are you sure? That's got to be a joke. It's only been under four hours. He needs a whole day, hell, maybe more—that time is just impossible to…to…" Bel trailed off, and true to Lussuria's words, there was movement. Movement among the flowers, not too far off where they were.
With a smirk the young prince scoffed, "Maybe he accidentally came this way." Bel snorted as he added, "Or the kid gave up. Knew that this stupid test was too hard for him."
"No…" Lussuria choked, "…He has all of the flowers, Bel. I would know. You know that I would know." Lussuria was very experienced in senses. His senses were even greater than his. Lussuria was right if he said so.
"No…fucking way," Bel whispered in disbelief and walked closer to stand side by side next to Lussuria as both men watched Tsuna stumble out of the sunflower forest. Tsuna could tell without looking how dirty he looked. He felt absolutely filthy. He shifted the massive multicolored bouquet in his aching arms. With shaky legs, he moved to the two Varia members.
"Sorry I took so long," Tsuna wheezed out tiredly, "And sorry, I-I lost the wheelbarrow." Lussuria slowly took the flowers from Tsuna's grasp, and the boy didn't seem to notice at all how disbelieving the man felt. Tsuna stumbled backwards, and his hands waved haphazardly around him. Finally, the boy collapsed to his bottom, his hands cushioning the fall. Tsuna hung his head lazily between his heads and panted. Yamamoto had taught him this neat trick back in physical education at school. Putting your head beneath your legs with your hands behind your head to regulate breathing.
"Tsuna-chan, you only got five…" Lussuria said faintly after a few moments later.
"Right." The sun sunflower was left in the wheelbarrow. He shakily stood up, his knees wobbled, and he forced them to stand erect. Walking to the edge of the field, Tsuna grasped one of the sunflower and pulled with ease. He'd gotten himself a new technique, he just needed to balance the force of his arms and legs. Shaking the dirt lazily off, he handed it to Bel, who stood passively in discomfort. With a tired sigh Tsuna looked up to Lussuria with the tiniest of smiles, "Er, is that all? Or…can I…?"
Lussuria jumped away from his thoughts at the sound of Tsuna's weak tone, "Ah. Yes. You got all of them. So, I guess now I can take you back. Bel go tell boss what…Tsuna-chan did."
"Yeah." Bel replied grumpily, long gotten over his shock. Shoving in his hands into his too-tight pants, he walked on ahead into the greenhouse and back into the castle. Lussuria and Tsuna followed behind shortly after he discarded the gardening gloves and the multicolored man lowered the large bouquet down to the ground near the doorway of the greenhouse. Tsuna allowed himself to go in front, eyes droopy and shoulders slacked. Lussuria just watched him, feeling slight paranoia.
He was mistaken, and this child had proved him wrong, and he was hardly ever wrong when he read someone. Whoever this kid was, Lussuria thought in deep contemplation, he was not normal.
—
Of course the moment he reached his room he nearly fell unconscious on his bed. He barely even remembered the trek back, as far as he was concerned, he needed sleep. But he forced himself awake, dragging himself to the overly decorated bathroom. A part of him, the rational side, wanted to bathe. Blinking blearily, he plugged the bathtub and worked the faucets to evenly warm the water.
He stripped off his shirt, shoes, and socks, and threw them in the furthest corner away from him. It only occurred to him then that he had forgotten to get an new pair of clothes to changes in. Sighing, he picked up the soiled clothes and folded them, placing them near arm's reach of the bathtub. He'd just have to wear them again…
Tsuna nearly jumped into the tub, but paused as his feet skimmed the top for a split second. He should savor this as long as he could. Tsuna used his aching arms to lower himself deep into the warm water. He felt better as he lathered the grime away, almost human, because a something as normal as a bath was a luxury he couldn't afford these days. His mother brought him up to the habit of never sleeping dirty and as sickening as it was, the reason why he took a bath despite being tired was because he wanted to keep her memory alive. The way he was thinking made it sounded as if she died, even though he knew she was safe as she could be back home. But he'd been gone so long…He shuddered, he was starting to forget faces…He couldn't remember the way their faces moved when they talked, or they expressions they made. Now, they became frightening still pictures in the back of his mind.
Part of him didn't want to think about them. It ached painfully whenever he did, but he didn't stop. He wondered if he was slowly becoming one of those people that liked pain just so they could acknowledge that they were alive. He forced his mind to turn lax for the rest of the bath after that thought, blank and free from worry.
When Tsuna got back to his room, he collapsed onto his bed. He stared droopily at the ceiling of the canopied bed. It didn't even take a minute. He was out the next second.
—
"Hibari Kyoya works for many people." Tsuna looked up tiredly, but alert as Xanxus read from a stapled packet. "There was a moment of time when he worked for the Millefiore, the Varia, and even the Vongola."
"But not the Kokuyo?" Tsuna questioned.
"No," Xanxus read on, "It doesn't say he had any involvement in the Kokuyo. He preferred only working with the big-wigs perhaps. This piece of trash is pretty smart."
Tsuna resisted the urge to bite at Xanxus. Hibari was hardly trash. "What kind of jobs did he do?"
"The normal." Xanxus replied, "Assassinations, black marketing...but I have to say, it's out of place of him to babysit you."
Tsuna sat up from the floor. This was what he wanted to know. He wanted to know why Hibari had to look after him. Looking expectantly for Xanxus to indulge into this but the man didn't continue, only giving Tsuna a cruel sneer and shoved the packet into his coat pocket. "Earn it, trash."
—
Levi was next to take up the bat. It was unexpected really, Tsuna never considered that Levi would be one of the many that were to teach him. His first impression of him nights ago before had been a sympathetic one. He recalled Xanxus promptly stomping at his face so brutally, it was hard to forget the disturbing crunching of the man's piercings making contact with his boss's boots. Since then, he never had the chance to speak to him again, only seeing him at the rare dinners together and the occasional pass at the hallways.
They only gave him a night's rest before Levi picked him up after Frieda's short, daily appearance on awakening him. Checking his watch, he realized he slept for nearly over twelve hours, more than enough time needed for the human body to rest. He was a bit surprised Xanxus had let him sleep that long. A tiny part of him wanted to believe that it was his way of saying a job well done.
The same ritual as yesterday, only with a different companion, Tsuna was dragged off somewhere else deep in the castle. He expected many things but this wasn't one of them. Levi brought him to the library. And Tsuna found out for such a hardy looking man, he was actually very gentle minded. And probably, the most normal person Tsuna had ever encountered here. He carried conversations normally, a norm Tsuna had not seen in awhile. Levi sighed, gesturing Tsuna to sit at a lone desk in the middle of the grand library. Tsuna obliged quickly, his eyes following Levi as the pierced man ran a hand at the spines of the books. "I'm not very intelligent." He said bluntly, maybe even pridefully, "But I can do something that makes up for it."
Tsuna blinked, patiently watching. But Levi made no action to prove his point, only continuing scanning the hard spines of the thick books. "Boss has ordered me to make you read some books," Levi turned to look at Tsuna's soured face. He quickly made to reassure the boy, "Not all, just some. Just enough to get you around easily."
Tsuna watched, his frown deepening as the amount of books in Levi's arms began to increase steadily as he plucked one by one off the shelves. Some were very high up and the intimidating man had to use a ladder to grab them. The shelves reached from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Books covered each of the four walls, to the point where Tsuna could not even see the color of the wallpaper behind them.
Jumping a few steps off the ladder early, Levi balanced the books in his arms and dumped them onto the desk in front of Tsuna. The boy grimaced at the pile as they slumped and unfolded like a fan of playing cards in front of him. "Oh come off it," Levi laughed deep-throatily as he examined his expression, "I had to do it too. If you want to be a Varia member this is all necessary."
"Never wanted to become one…" Tsuna mumbled under his breath as he picked up a thick book and leafed through the pages lazily.
Levi raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't comment. "I'll give you an hour or two…maybe three then I'll test you."
"What?" Tsuna exclaimed as he turned in his seat wildly, his eyes widening up at Levi. "I don't get a week or something?"
"Nah," The dark-skinned man waved a hand, "That's just Lussuria. He's too nice. We usually give tests a few hours after explaining and showing the basics. This is just bookwork. It shouldn't take too long anyways." Tsuna stared doubtfully at his desk. He doubted it, he would fail that test so badly it would look effortless. He was always so bad at memorization and school in general. "Relax," Levi snorted, "If I managed to pass it, I'm sure you can. It's just about the history of Cielo…or not-history."
"Not-history?" Tsuna blinked, not ever recalling hearing that term before. "What's that?"
"Basically, all this is just babble. We're not even sure if any of these books are accurate. No one in the last generation bothered to record anything. Thick in the head, my granddad and everyone in that time was. Here," Levi pushed a book into Tsuna's hands, "This is probably something you know."
The book wasn't even big. It could barely be even called a book by its length. It looked like nothing more than a couple sheets of paper stuck together in a packet. The cover wasn't even hard, even more proving to his point. He opened it, unsurprised how it almost fell apart by such a small action. He held it together with his hand and read the first paragraph. "I know this!" Tsuna looked up at Levi, pleased of his knowledge, "This is the fairytale about how the sky disappeared!"
"Not a fairytale." Levi grunted. "…I think. We've been told that one for so long I think it's real. It maybe just bluster from some bard though and we might've been just fools to believe it for so long. No one knows."
Wordlessly, Tsuna leafed through the pages. Basically, it was just the story Mukuro had told him, only with more details that he conveniently left out. The font was tiny, but bold, its pages obviously have been opened many times before him. Tsuna stopped. His eyes widening at the very last page.
He read the passage aloud, his tone rising in octave at having found something interesting, "The spectators watched in horror as the sky, once a beautiful deep blue turned into a deep somber gray. There was no longer a day or night, no moon or sun, the only thing that remained was themselves, their lives unchanged yet changed. The people believed that this would be temporary and waited patiently for the royals' return. But they never came back—"
"—Is there something wrong with that?" Levi frowned, a bit frightened by the way Tsuna had suddenly bursted in telling the story aloud. He couldn't see anything wrong with the passage that snagged the boy's interest.
Tsuna only spared Levi a long stare, "There's something different from what I've been told. Hold on, I'm getting to it." Taking an intake of breath, Tsuna continued, "But only one clue was left behind, ever proof of their return. A single letter, written by the courageous prince before he had embarked on his journey to lands afar in search of the missing king and princess. It read; 'When the time comes and all is only gray, there shall be a new generation to take up our thrones. One single wish will be granted for the one who finds this new generation and brings the honor Cielo once had. There will be blood spilled, there will be tears for years to come, but only the worthy may have our wish'."
"The royalties disappearance struck a low blow to Cielo hard, they had no leaders! They had no guiding hand! The kingdom was more than happy to get rid of the kings, but they lost the two most loved monarchs! The kind prince and princess! How would they prosper now? Who would step up to help them? Encouraged into insanity by the prince's letter, many fought over the empty thrones, and for a very long time, Cielo went under wage amongst themselves. No one could trust no one, there was no one to turn to, no one to confide in and most only relied on themselves on that dark and terrible time. To this day, no one knows where this 'new generation' is. When will our honor be restored? Who will bring it? And that is why the sky is as gray as you see now."
Tsuna put the book down closing it gently, "Is that true?" Is that why people are so eager to find the royals again? Not because they wanted peace…but only for their own desires?
Levi sighed, "Yes, well, the last of the bumbling believers think so."
Tsuna looked up at him. "What…do they usually want?"
"The normal." Levi snorted, "Power, revenge, the power for revenge."
Something occurred to him. It was a thought so fleeting he might've missed it. Tsuna looked to his lap. Then…what if…Mukuro—no, it couldn't be…"Then what if someone just wanted the sky back? That's normal right?"
Tsuna flinched at Levi's guffaw, "What? Who told you that?"
"No one," Tsuna lied smoothly, "Just wondering."
"Well don't," Levi scoffed, "Even if there was such a thing as granting any wish, I hardly doubt anyone'd waste it for the good of this hellhole. That's why there's so many damn gangs wrecking the place. Stupid teenagers believe it, so they make up gangs to get people to do their part and trick them into—"
"Gangs?" Tsuna repeated, hearing the familiar word. "Tell me about them."
Levi frowned, confused why Tsuna was asking such an obvious question, "Well for instance, one of the most notorious is the Kokuyo gang," Tsuna's breathing stilled. "I heard they gathered up because they want revenge right? Something really tragic happened to all of them so they think a wish will make all the people that hurt them pay. Someone named Rokudo Mukuro—" Levi paused politely, looking at Tsuna, "Heard of him?" Tsuna shook his head fervently in denial, "Well, he's some crazy guy that gathered these delinquents so they can get their piece on that wish. He's got a criminal record and everything, crazy teen he is, it took ages for the Millefiore to catch him."
Tsuna couldn't see straight, it was so obvious…His worst fear could be realized…could it be? He croaked at him to go on, "Criminal record?"
"Yes," Levi shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head in disapproval, "Millefiore runs the streets for a good reason, and it's to clean trash like Rokudo up. He's done everything, you name it. He stole, engaged in illegal trading, heard he killed a lot, he's put ideas into people's heads—man, especially his gang, he's got them all thinking they're doing it for something good—hey…Hey, are you alright?"
Tsuna barely even noticed Levi stopped talking. God. Had he been lied to? It was like a indirect smack to the face finding out this way. Had he followed such an obvious lie?
He…he unleashed a monster, and he didn't even realize it?
That's why the Millefiore were so furious when he broke him out. They were so scared of him. Why didn't he notice? Was he blinded by his own conviction, Gamma, Byakuran, and those guys his age in that little room that he didn't bothered to think why Mukuro was in there, chained, tied up, barely living in a water pressured tank under maximum security? He wasn't being tortured by Byakuran—he was being confined! Mukuro had…had tricked him all along…and he—he—
"Hey! Hey! Do you need to see Lussuria? He can talk to you and—shit I'm not good with this—" Tsuna turned to look at Levi, his concerned pierced face staring down at him. He was crouched next to Tsuna chair so they could meet eye-level, a position that meant he was trying to be harmless. Was this man doing the same? Mukuro was nice to him too, yet look, he may have been just tricking him the entire time. If that was true, than did Levi also have an ulterior motive? Did the Varia and Kokuyo—even the Millefiore have the same goal in mind? Levi put a hand to his shoulder, "Listen kid, I don't know what's going on…so…uh, if you need help…or anything…I…er, yeah. Help."
Tsuna halted his racing mind, choosing his words carefully, "Levi, why are you in the Varia?"
"Why?" Levi asked, "Well…I'm indebt to the boss actually. Saved my life."
"He…saved your life?" Tsuna repeated incredulously. He felt an odd sense of déjà vu from this conversation.
Levi nodded, slowly, as if thinking about it at the moment, "That's why when you said that boss wasn't a bad person, I fully agreed with you. He's not like that Rokudo who tricked each of his subordinates. We are all here because we want to be. Despite how he treats us, I think it's just as you said, he seriously has a heart of gold." After a short pause, Levi frowned and lowered his voice, "Just don't tell him I ever said that. Please." Tsuna knew despite his seemingly kind hearted nature, Levi could might as well be tricking him into thinking that too. He should know better honestly, not to trust anyone now. But he couldn't help but give in to those child-like eyes.
He nodded, and Levi sighed in relief, shoulders slumping from its tension.
—
"It does not say here, but I think Hibari Kyoya is being blackmailed." Xanxus thought aloud.
"Blackmailed?" Tsuna repeated, incredulous. Hibari and blackmailed hardly ever went in the same sentence. It was hard to believe. Hibari was a man of secrets and he doubted that anyone knew more than he did. Even if someone blackmailed him, it wasn't hard to imagine Hibari beating it out of them with those ridiculous tonfas. "What makes you think that?"
"Because he was forced to guard you. He doesn't do anything without reason. He's very thorough trash." Why Xanxus was so intent on calling Hibari trash, even when praising him, Tsuna would never know.
—
"That wasn't so bad was it? Told you the test was easy."
Tsuna agreed with a thoughtful nod. Levi was right. Cielo's history was nothing but a blackhole with a lot of theories. "Now that's over with, I think you can handle some shock." Levi smiled rather slyly, the piercings on his face lifting with it. The enormous man held his hand out, his eerie smile not faltering as Tsuna timidly held out his own to accept the man's gift.
The unidentified small object exchanged itself from Levi's hand to his own and for a long moment, Tsuna could not register what he was holding in his hand. It was small, shiny, and it had a rather odd shape to it. It finally came to mind that what he was holding was a single silver stud earring. "Oh god!" Tsuna exclaimed, "You're not going to make me wear it, are you?"
Levi laughed heartily at Tsuna's horrified expression. "Relax, it's only one and I'm a certified registered central sterile technician."
That wasn't the answer Tsuna was looking for. He put all his willpower into his eyes, "So, you really are going to make me put it on? But I don't have any holes in my body. There's nothing you can poke it through so…yeah."
"It doesn't hurt." Levi snorted as Tsuna's pitiful stare seemed to go up at notch. "It'll be as quick as a pinch, trust me."
Tsuna stepped away from Levi, putting his hands up, "I don't want one." Tsuna insisted stubbornly. No use beating around the bush with this man. He repeated with finality, "I definitely don't want one."
"Can I ask why?" Levi asked, turning his back to Tsuna as he began digging through his coat pockets.
Tsuna eyed his movement suspiciously as he spoke, "It's weird for a guy to have piercings." Levi looked up with a slightly offended expression. Horrified by how when his face twisted the piercings jangled, Tsuna waved his hands, "Wait, that came out wrong," Tsuna corrected himself wearily, "I mean piercings aren't for me. That's all."
Levi ignored his decision off with a shrug, "Are you just afraid of it hurting? Or just having one?"
Tsuna grimaced, and his eyes narrowed in disapproval at the thought. Without missing a beat, he replied deftly, "Both."
"It's not going to hurt, I promise." Levi fished his hand out of his pockets drawing out the most strangest things. One was a needle, as Tsuna had suspected, a single cheap lighter, and latex gloves. Balancing the three items, Levi slipped on the white rubber gloves on first and stretched them on with a snap that resonated in the library. Tsuna flinched.
"Uh," Tsuna began faintly, his throat drying as Levi clicked it on with confidence and purpose, "What is that for?"
"I have to sterilize the needle. Otherwise you'll get an infection."
"By putting a fire over it?" Tsuna asked, taking a few steps away.
Levi shook his head tiredly, as if he was talking to a child. "It kills all the microbes. Do you want to get an infection in your ear, then?"
"I don't want one, period!" Tsuna replied smartly.
Ignoring his declaration, Levi narrowed his eyes in concentration and lowered the long needle into the open flame. After turning a fine tan color, the man took a swig from a bottle of rubbing alcohol onto a cotton cloth and wiped away the detritus. Holding it up proudly, Levi looked expectantly at Tsuna, "It's ready. Now sit down."
"But why? Why do I need one?" Tsuna wailed pitifully, dropping into his seat dramatically. Despite his complaints he did it anyway. Levi smiled inside, what a good kid this little guy was.
Levi smiled reassuringly, making sure the boy met eyes with him so he could see his sincerity. "Boss told me to give you one. He says that since you're a Varia member it's time you get one. Have you noticed that we all have piercings? Think of it as a gold star for being good. It's a sign you're an official Varia member, approved by the boss himself. Appreciate it, kiddo." Levi lowered himself onto his knee and steadied a wine cork behind Tsuna's left earlobe. "Ready?" Levi chuckled lowly.
Tsuna didn't answer, but he didn't protest either as Levi stabbed the flesh as quickly as he could. Fishing out the needle, he replaced it quickly with the single silver stud. Swiping at the residue blood leaking out with a cotton swab, Levi sat back and eyed his work. "It's in." He reported, and Tsuna slumped in his chair tiredly.
"That was a lot quicker than I thought."
"Told you."
—
Tsuna stared at the left side of his head in deep thought. It didn't look bad, but only if it wasn't so insanely itchy and extremely red he wouldn't have even noticed it. Earrings felt weird, and it felt like someone had just attached an anchor to the left side of his head. It was a foreign weight, one that Tsuna could never get used to.
With a irritated sigh, he squeezed out more ointment from the tube Levi had given him and smothered all over his ear. It felt cool against the hot skin and more tolerable than he had thought. The ointment was a sort of medicine that Levi provided him. Otherwise he was going to get infected if he didn't apply three times a day. He didn't know what 'three times a day' was until he realized that he had breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Using that as his reminders, Tsuna now began to make it a habit to apply the medicine before he ate.
He could tell that Xanxus was thoroughly pleased when he saw the piercing for the very first time. Tsuna grimaced, not realizing that he had sealed his fate with officially becoming a Varia member with it. It also meant that he unintentionally accepted Xanxus as his master. He contemplated on taking it off many times but Levi's many warnings had stopped him. "Don't take them off until six weeks later or you'll be more prone to infections." If only he hadn't gotten the piercing in the first place. Now he was stuck with it for all eternity.
It reminded him. Would he be home in six weeks? The thought motivated him in the least. But it also kept him depressed. Gokudera could probably care less and get a few more himself. Yamamoto would just brush it off. What would his mother say about it? What would his dad say? It saddened him that he didn't know. He didn't even remember how his parents would react to situations anymore. He stilled in his habitual itching. How would Hibari react? Tsuna wondered. Would the guy even care? It's not like it was life-endangering. It was only just an earring. Tsuna grimaced. Just an earring that he barely even consented to.
He then decided that simply, Hibari would not care that he had a piercing. He was just that sort of guy.
"Is breakfast not to your liking, Tsuna?" A maid whispered quietly, not meeting his eyes. They were not allowed to.
Tsuna looked up, smiling shakily, "No, uh, it's good." To emphasize his point, he stabbed his food and popped it into his mouth. He chewed vigorously. With a nod, the woman curtsied daintily and stepped back in line with the others waiting for an order. He would never, ever get used to the servants. Ever. It was just disturbing for him that someone would taste his food before he even ate it. It's not like no one was out there to kill him. Except the Millefiore, but that was besides the point. No one in the Varia castle would try to kill him. No one here knew his name from the exemption of Xanxus. Everyone here simply knew him as the boy called 'Tsuna'. And that was it. But even unintentionally, they were there to serve him, a normal boy, and it bothered him to no end.
There was only the sound of their silverware, occasionally tapping loudly against the plates. Boredly Fran spoke up, breaking the ice, "Today, Mammon-sempai and I will take care of you, Tsuna."
The boy looked up, nodded at the two and went back to his plate.
—
"Hibari Kyoya had someone raise him until age eighteen. But this guy was only older by a handful."
"Who was it?"
"Someone named Dino Chiavarone." Xanxus looked at Tsuna expectantly, "Know him?"
The name didn't sound familar to him. "Can't say I have." He answered honestly.
—
Straight after dinner Fran grabbed him and quickly stepped out into the hall. In his arms was baby Mammon, who, to Tsuna, was still a complete mystery. Whenever they talked, Tsuna noticed that Fran would talk to Mammon in utmost respect (shocking, especially since he never had shown that kind of behavior to Bel or even Xanxus), calling him 'Mammom-sempai' after every sentence he addressed to the child.
To say it wasn't disturbing would be a lie. But he kept this thought to himself, saying as silent as Mammon as they walked. In fact, Fran seemed to be carrying on conversation by himself and he didn't seem in the least bothered by this. Whenever he asked a question Mammon would remain silent, then Fran would nod and ask another. It was an odd pattern in their conversation, one that would probably repeat until Fran loses subjects to bring up next. It wasn't long until a few couple of minutes past and surprisingly, the normally sarcastic boy didn't cease his chatter.
It further put unease in Tsuna's heart. He shot glances at Mammon, his childish face uncaring and indifferent. And suddenly, he felt dipped in ice, completely frozen over as Mammon turned to look at Tsuna icily. "What?" Was his question, and it occurred to Tsuna that he had been staring the entire time. Fran had stopped talking among the exchange and whispered to Tsuna, "Don't stare at sempai, it's rather rude. He doesn't like it."
Tsuna looked away, scared.
"We are here." The child announced as they halted to a stop. With a push at Fran's chest, he hopped out of the oldest boy's arms and turned to look at Tsuna, "Listen you. I'm only here because it's necessary. I have a business to run and you're wasting my precious time. Go in there." Mammon pointed to a door, much different from the others in the hall. It was a completely black door, its handle black, and its hinges black. Mammon smiled so maliciously, Tsuna almost believe he wasn't looking at a child at all. "There is someone waiting for you."
Tsuna looked at the small child with disbelief, "Do you come with me?" If he was right, then they were suppose to be his tutors, right? Why would they hand him over to someone else?
"No." Mammom simply replied. "Fran. Explain to this idiot how it works."
"Yes, sempai." Fran replied earnestly. He turned to Tsuna, his face morphing into its normal pleasant expression he only showed to him, "Tsuna, inside is only a room. There are no doors, but only hallways all leading to the same place. Do you understand? There are no other doors in there. The only way out is here," Fran tapped the black door with a finger, "There is someone at the end of those hallways, and I'll remind you again, all leading to the same place, and there that person will give you a special word. Tell us that special word and you'll pass easily."
"So that person will just tell me?" Tsuna asked. "That's it?"
"Yes." Fran nodded, "Remember, find the word, and come back."
"Well," Tsuna looked to the intimidating door. "I guess…if that's all…then, I guess I can do it."
"Do not guess." Mammon icily cut in, a sharp edge to his words, "You must achieve."
Tsuna gulped and with a deep breath, he put his hand to the handle. He looked to Fran, who gave him an encouraging nod. He stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind him. What didn't shock him was that it was completely dark. A sense of paranoia started to bloom in his chest and spread like a virus throughout his body. He fought the urge to open the door and run back into the light.
He only took one step forward and the lights clicked on. Disorientated, he slammed his eyes shut then slowly opened them, his pupils adjusting. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye he jumped and staring right back at him, was himself. He laughed aloud. He jumped at his own reflection! He was sure that there was a saying for it too, but he was distracted by the room to think more into it. It was unsurprisingly unsettling. The entire room was walled by tall mirrors. On the ceiling and floor too. It reminded him of the circus back in Namimori, only that the mirrors were all normal and not at all the curvy funhouse mirrors back home. The room was in a shape of a pentagon. Behind him was the black door he had come from and on each of the other sides of the dizzying room was two hallways, making it a total of eight hallways.
Fran had said they were all connected so either way to and from, he'd make it back here easily. It was a one-way maze, and thank god, he was sick of mazes with a 50% chance of making it out alive. He picked the hallway in front of him quickly, also decorated with mirrors, not wanting to waste anymore time. The hallway was not at all straight as it started out. It angled and twisted, and stupidly, sometimes Tsuna found himself going in a completely circle. The hallway at some point widened, and at some point had narrowed (at that part Tsuna was beginning to feel claustrophobic as he squeezed his way through). It was absolutely horrifying how large the room actually was. If every hallway was like that then he could imagine that the room was even bigger than a football field. By the time he reached the end he had wasted a good 15 minutes. The room was an exact copy of where he started, only without the black door—his only ticket out.
At first, he saw no one in sight but his reflections. And for a moment Tsuna wondered if this was some sort of test that he'd have to get an answer out of himself. He didn't even have a chance to think longer.
"Tsunayoshi." Someone called, his name said in a deep growl. Tsuna had thought it was a figment of his imagination. Because there was no way that the person waiting for him would be Hibari. It was insane, and almost hysterical, that Hibari would be here. But he called his name again, this time with more urgency, "Tsunayoshi! Look at me when I talk to you!"
Tsuna could not resist turning around. And there he was, looking so angry that Tsuna almost fainted happily. He stumbled, his back hitting the mirror behind him. "H...Hibari-san..." He breathed out, his knees collapsing under him. "Hibari-san," Tsuna repeated the name again and Hibari looked at him as if he was stupid. It really was Hibari, right there in the flesh. Because no one else looked at him that way but Hibari. No one else but Hibari and he was right there in front of him. "Hibari-san—"
"Yes, yes. It's me." Hibari growled. He strided over to Tsuna, grabbing his wrist (Tsuna choked on air, not having prepared himself mentally) and pulling him to stand roughly, "Do you have any idea what you've done? Your parentals are going suicidal, your friends are delusional, and here you are playing castle games!"
"Sorry," He said to the enraged man, "I'm really sorry. I won't do it again."
Tsuna stared, his eyes watering, he could barely even stand straight as he listened on, "You are older than this! You're soon to be in senior high! Why do you make life so difficult? Now that you missed so many days of schooling, you might as well just fail the year! You're going to fail the year, Tsunayoshi! How careless are you? You can't afford that!" To think, he absolutely hated it when Hibari had yelled at him, ever. Now he was happy enough to die just listening.
"Why can't you do anything right for once? Now we need to go explain to your parents what has happened and lie about your whereabouts these past weeks. That you weren't killed, or kidnapped that you simply had wandered off in your obscene manner, completely unsupervised, unseen as to—"
Tsuna sobbed quietly.
Hibari stilled, his words caught by a net in the back of his throat. Realizing that Tsuna had never yet responded to his barrage of insults, he snarled angrily, "What?"
"I-I'm so happy," Tsuna hiccupped, his hands cradling his crying-smiley face from Hibari, who stared in complete shock at the choice of words. "I-I'm so happy you're here. I-I thought that I'd never see you again, and I thought that it'd take more than this to find you." Tsuna ran to Hibari his arms wrapping around him. "Hibari...Hibari-san, I missed you so much."
Hibari looked unsure what to do. Finally, he put his hand on Tsuna's shoulder. He coughed awkwardly.
He mumbled, "...Me too." Hibari's reply was so quick and so faint he could barely hear it, so unbelievable because he would never say that.
It was strange. It was strange how one word shattered Tsuna's happiness. He wrested himself from Hibari's torso and the boogie man looked sincerely surprised by this. He looked the same. He looked exactly the same. But Tsuna never noticed how blurry this man's face looked. He had shaken it off that it was his tears that obscured his vision. He was so intent on the voice that he didn't notice how disturbing Hibari's face had no face. Correction, he had a face, but it was so blurry that it looked deformed in Tsuna's eyes. It was as if there was a permanent fog to Hibari's face, like how you breathe against a mirror, Hibari had no clear face. Tsuna then realized the cruel reality. This man was not Hibari. He was still in Mammon's and Fran's test. And he had his word. He had to go. He had to go now. "Tsunayoshi," The fake Hibari began, his hand reaching to grab his arm, "We have to return—"
"No!" Tsuna jerked away from the man's reach. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" Barely even waiting for a reply, Tsuna spun on his heel and ran. He ran so fast, his remaining tears dried within seconds.
"Tsunayoshi!" The fake-Hibari called angrily after him. "Get back here right now!"
It was then the fake began following him. He quickened his steps, his even breathing began more desperate, taking the same hallway, he went through it alot faster than the first time, his subconscious remembering every first step. The fake-Hibari was still calling his name, and each time he did, the voice began to become more indistinguishable, more foreign to his ears, more frightening and deep. The voice became screechy, yelling "Tsunayoshi! Tsunayoshi!" It echoed in the giant mirror room, and he looked at his reflection as he ran, seeing his own terrified face. How could Hibari's voice be lost to his head? How could his face be lost too? How could he forget it all? It was horrible. Horrible that he just now realized that he didn't even remember how Hibari looked or talked anymore.
He reached the end, and opened the black door with such ferocity Fran and Mammon jumped on the spot from the other side. He was about to close the door but he listened to the pleading voice for a few heartbeats longer. Fresh tears sprung from his eyes. Because despite knowing he was ditching a fake, leaving him twice was like killing himself twice.
AN: Who knew the key to finishing a chapter was just to sit down and actually do it? I was worrying whether or not they'd fill up your expectations or not but thanks to some encouragement, here it is. Can you believe I had to type it all over again by MEMORY? Stupid fail-o flash drive. For the some who don't know what happened, my flash drive died out on me and I lost everything on it. Including my stories, and still haven't gotten them back. Thank you for your advice though, guys.
MANGA SPOILERS: I HATE YOU ENMA. I DO. What a pathetic drama queen. So what if you're regaining the honor of your family—from what? Over ten generations ago? Enma, this isn't your damn fight anymore. That's just damn ridiculous that you're carrying a millennium-old grudge that doesn't have any proof to back it up. Can you PROVE the Primo did that? NO. You cannot. So shut up, Enma. Just shut the hell up. :c
And in my story Mammon does not float. Because that is just too damn weird even for me. So usually, Fran or Bel carries him around. DAMN. 13, 575 words. Not including the author note. DAMN. I hope I redeemed myself guys. Sorry for not updating for so long.