CHAPTER 25: IN HIS VEINS
It was not long though until Hibari broke the tense silence. The boogie man stalked towards them, tonfas held up menacingly, his eyes half-meeting Tsuna's, but keeping direct contact with Mukuro's, letting the illusionist catch full awareness of his hostility. As the cloud-user took a few steps forward Mukuro mirrored the steps backwards, a still and silent Tsunayoshi in tow. The boy could not speak, or have the strength to even struggle against Mukuro's tugs, and it only seemed to anger the other. Why wasn't Tsunayoshi struggling back? Obviously, this strange man was violating him.
Mukuro slowly leaned down to whisper in Tsuna's ear, his awareness of the other man barely forgotten, "Tsunayoshi, who is this?"
The situation looked so ethereal in his eyes, he couldn't speak for a short moment. Whether to answer Mukuro's question or to beckon out to the boogie man he didn't know, "Hibari-san..." He managed to say, hardly audible to the naked ear. He was surprised by the sudden emotion in his voice despite how quiet it came out, something he never knew his heart could do to his throat. Mukuro's gaze flicked towards him, expression questioning and curious at Tsuna's tone. He looked back at Hibari, who stood with hackled shoulders, a posture with a silent obvious message. He then looked back to Tsuna.
And he understood right away. The indigo-haired man slowly moved his gloved hand, to Tsuna's hand and the other free one to the teen's back. And Mukuro tugged the limp appendage to push him gently behind.
Tsuna staggered back onto the wall.
Then everything exploded before the teenager's very eyes. It was absolutely frightening. With calm, deadly eyes, Hibari hooked an arm chair with one tonfa and flung it, actually flung it, towards Mukuro who laughed, slapping the furniture away with his trident with ease; like a tennis ball. The chair crashed on the opposite end of the wall, the wood shrieking in pain for a split second before it broke apart and fell silent again. Mukuro retaliated with a chair of his own and Hibari smacked it away likewise.
Mukuro jumped onto the table, kicking away the silverware at his feet and Hibari copied him with a expression so amazingly deadly, and almost beautiful in a way that didn't look humanly possible. The illusionist threw his trident right at Hibari, Tsuna cried in alarm, and the man stood tall and at ease as the trident completely passed right through his stomach. "Oya…" Mukuro exclaimed in delighted surprise, "It seems that you can tell what's real and what's not."
Hibari didn't answer, kicking up a plate at Mukuro with incredible accuracy. The illusionist just moved aside with a smirk. The porcelain crashed onto the floor, the pierce sound resonating in Tsuna's bones. The teenager stared up at the angered man, never once seeing this side of Hibari before. He shook in his clothes, and he could feel his teeth chattering from the sheer raw emotions he couldn't understand. What was going on? What just happened? Why the heck were they fighting? He looked back to Mukuro, who had so carefully read between the lines and pushed Tsuna out of the way. Then back at Hibari, who barely even spared a single glance at him. It was obvious; neither of them wanted him in this. Tsuna spoke, his voice feeble, "W-Wait..."
If they had heard him, they promptly ignored him.
"Interesting. So you don't know who I am?" Mukuro asked, eyebrows raised in surprise and mouth curved artfully into interest. Mukuro nodded to himself as Hibari didn't as so much twitch in response, "I see. So you don't. That's awfully rare. Everyone knows me." He laughed mockingly, pointing at Tsuna with a gloved thumb, "Even him." Tsuna twitched, feeling guilt over what he said earlier, but he still couldn't stop thinking about how their embarrassingly intimate result of their heated discussion had come into an abrupt end. He was partly happy for it too. The illusionist looked back to Hibari, "So you must've been...out of town?" Mukuro questioned with a hand cradling his chin.
Hibari's eyes narrowed, deciphering the underlying hint.
Tsuna was still lost.
The suited man took a step forward, swinging a single tonfa at the man's face. The metal weapon hit air. Mukuro sneered at his primitive response, "I was only making conversation, now. No need to just hit me out of nowhere." The mist-user swung his trident at the other man's legs, and Hibari jumped over the pitch fork effortlessly, like he was skipping jump rope. Hibari quickly retaliated with a hit of his own, and likewise, Mukuro dodged it. None of the men made progress in harming the other. One would hit, then the other would dodge in a repeating fashion, no matter how many tricks they had up their sleeves. They gritted their teeth at each other in distaste and frustration.
"Stop!" Tsuna ordered them feebly, shakily pulling himself up, using the wall behind him as support only to fall back to his bottom when both of the men looked to Tsuna, he gulped at the sudden attention. He stared back, eyes wide.
They then realized that they had something else, far more important to do. "Tsunayoshi," Mukuro began slowly.
Then Tsuna felt movement in his peripheral vision, he looked up, alarmed to see Hibari at his side before the other could finish the sentence. Mukuro looked stricken by the interruption. Hibari grabbed his forearm, and Tsuna gasped as he was pulled up to his feet in one, swift movement. His arm felt like it was burning from Hibari's touch. It was not like an illusion's touch, where you subconscious puts you into thinking the warmth. Tsuna reached out a shaky appendage, ghosting over the hand that was holding him. He was real. He was totally real. Hibari looked at him briefly. Tsuna stared back.
Mukuro watched the exchange with a disquieted expression.
Everyone in the room stilled as screaming echoed from the halls through the thick wooden door. They all looked to it, then back at each other in alarm.
Tsuna was the first to voice the obvious, "We have no time for this. If we're going to leave, we have to leave now." His old friend looked at Tsuna, a perturbed expression painting the beautiful canvas of his face. The teenager twitched under the deep scrutiny, wondering if what he had just said sounded strange. He inwardly racked through the sentence, chopping it, flipping it, turning it, looking for a flaw that would've disturbed Hibari. He could not find any.
And for the first time in four months Tsuna heard his voice again, true and familiar. It was not directed to him though. Hibari spoke, turning back to Mukuro, "We will finish this matter later."
Mukuro pressed his lips together into a firm line, his face hard, "Agreed."
—
A deathly silence enveloped the courtyard, a unnatural heaviness seemed to tug everyone down. Everyone but the Kokuyo gang was effected.
"Mukuro-sama," Chrome began, pausing in concentration, then turned to the others, "Is leaving. I suggest we retreat quietly." Mukuro just contacted them. He was currently with Tsuna, she could've explained more, but now wasn't the right time.
Chikusa looked as if he already knew this, but then again, he was always like that, "Fine."
"Fran," Chrome said delicately, "Has opened up a opportunity for us." She waved vaguely at the still Varia forms, bewitched by Fran's attempt on helping them, "He says to leave quickly. He can't keep this up this effect long without being discovered."
Everyone twitched at the familiar name. Some looked disgusted, some looked happy to hear the name again. It was unexpected and it caught them off guard. M.M scowled in distrust, "What if this is a trap? Who knows, you'd be surprised how much someone can change over time."
"No," The eyepatched girl shook her head in disagreement, "I sense no ill intent in the illusion. But then again, he could be hiding that. Even if we do decide to trust him, we should be on our guard. Fran is far more a superior illusionist than I am." They knew Fran couldn't take it upon them that they wouldn't trust him anymore. After all, in their eyes, he knows he was a traitor. But even so, Chrome still believed that somewhere they all still cared for each other no matter how much they hid it. They've been through far too much for far too long to have such a silly thing break their bond.
—
Then they all started to the door opposite from the commotion, Tsuna blearily staggered between the two tall men, Hibari to his right and Mukuro his left. Mukuro opened the doors for them, and he recognized what looked like a well-supplied kitchen, only much bigger and much more pristine than the distant memory of his mother's homely kitchen.
The two men helped Tsuna stumble, though he was not hurt or bleeding, through the sterile room, and he looked around, surprised to not see anyone around. Wasn't there cooks always cooking? Sure it was a waste, but usually Xanxus would have strange cravings during the long hours of the day and they always toiled around the kitchen for such times.
It hit him. Xanxus.
He tugged on both of the men to stop and they looked at Tsuna questioningly. It was somewhat strange how synchronized they were despite the clear animosity towards eachother. "Xanxus," He quickly spoke, "Xanxus is back."
The two men looked at each other grudgingly, a sort of silent discussion Tsuna could not catch ended abruptly as it started and they turned back to him, Hibari said simply, "I'm here."
"Rather, I'm here." Mukuro insisted.
Hibari gave the other an annoyed stare. And Mukuro likewise. Tsuna sighed irritably.
Breaking gently from Hibari's hold, Tsuna took the initiative to take the lead. He opened the other door leading out, one that seemed more modern than any other doors he had seen in the castle. He peeked through the crack, and with a look of triumph, he realized that the kitchen lead to the hallway. It was just lucky that it was quiet and desolate than it's opposite end. They must've reached near the back of the castle. If he was correct, than they were close to the greenhouse, then they would just have to make their way out from there. "This way," He waved to them and the two men glared at each other one last time before they followed.
Tsuna observed the doors, and nodded in triumph as he opened a familiar cheaply made wooden door. Never once had he felt so relieved to see the greenhouse again. He quickly walked through the colorful arrangements of plants Lussuria took so long toiling over for years, and the training it all put him through, yet he could not bring himself to say he would miss it. His blood was singing too loudly to get out as soon as possible to think of unnecessary sentiments.
He looked behind him, just to make sure they were following, and they were, at a long distance away from the other. Their footsteps were silent, quiet against the gritty tiled garden unlike his noisy clumsy footsteps.
"I have a bike waiting." Hibari spoke out to Tsuna, giving a meaningful glare showing how much the other wasn't invited to follow. Mukuro easily brushed it off with a snort.
"And give off our position with the sounds that atrocious mechanic beast makes? I think not."
"We're on the opposite end of the castle, no one will notice the sound of a bike over anything else," Tsuna easily argued, and to be honest with himself, he was surprised on how strong his argument was. Or maybe he was just very sensitive whenever it came to Hibari, it made him think on his feet quick.
And for about the trillionth time that day, Hibari gave him another strange, unreadable stare.
He would have to ask him about it later.
Hibari lengthened his footfalls, easily surpassing Tsuna and leading the way. Mukuro was ill at ease in his leadership, but followed just for the sake of watching the teenager in their tow carefully. Tsuna watched as they passed the sunflower fields, barely slowing down, but eyes glazed in flashback. It wasn't so long ago he had been in there, lost and scared, and something happened that he couldn't explain. Instinct led him out there in success, but sometimes instinct did him bad. But instinct also led him to Hibari. He now couldn't completely say it was bad to listen to it, but he couldn't completely say it was good either.
The trio passed the sunflower fields, through crops, plump and ripe. He was tempted to just grab one, seeing how amazingly exotic they looked. And despite being flame-grown, they looked as real as the ones back home. He reached for one, just to touch it as they passed but Hibari turned around before he could even lay a finger on its skin. "Don't." Was all he said simply. He immediately obeyed, his hand falling back to his side. Strange how much power this man had over him. And Tsuna had no strength to fight it. He was more than eager to please the guy again.
Though he hadn't shown it yet, he was sure Hibari was boiling mad at him.
They stepped over the fresh produce, and finally when they reached the end of the fields, the reached a throng of bushes and trees. Tsuna frowned at it before stepping in after Hibari. He heard Mukuro follow suit. He slapped the loose, wild branches away and looked on in envy as the boogie man in front of him just swooped with grace and elegance from the offending plants. And he hardly looked like he was trying. Finally he saw something through the small forest. A stone wall. It was familiar, and at first he thought they had reached a building. He then realized that what they had come across was a small section of the tall formidable walls that surrounded the castle. He was so close to freedom he could taste in on his tongue.
But then he realized something important. "How do we get over this?" Tsuna asked, feeling stupid when Hibari sent him an impatient stare in response.
"Over it or under it, you can chose." Mukuro teased lightly. And Hibari gave him a hard look, as if his very voice was something to be annoyed at. Which it probably was, in Hibari's point of view. It made him want to smile but he held it back with force. Hibari used to use that same look with him whenever he talked or did something stupid. It was slightly amusing to see it being used on someone else.
Tsuna huffed to hide his oncoming laugh, pointing up at the wall, "Well obviously, I meant how are we going to get over something this tall?" He looked around, hoping to find some sort of rope or ladder of a kind that the dark-haired man might have had used to go over the way on his way in. He found nothing that particularly caught his eye.
Without any warning Hibari took his arms and slung it over his shoulders and tucked his arms under the crook of Tsuna's legs. It happened in less than a second and the teen on his back barely had time to shriek. "Hibari-san, what are you doing?" He asked in panic as the man began to take big steps back.
"We're going over." The man answered aloofly.
"Thanks for working that out," Mukuro snorted delicately at him, although curiously, he knew Tsuna would've given the same answer, "Care to tell us the time too?"
Tsuna opened his mouth, out of simple reflex to defend Hibari, because he simply knew that the man wouldn't defend himself against verbal attacks, he was just too cool-headed for that. But before he could even come up with anything clever to retort, the boogie man began running and Tsuna's grip around the man's neck tightened. He gasped as Hibari began to step onto the wall, jumped, and suddenly, they were in a tree.
He blinked.
Hibari stepped onto the ledge of the wall, Tsuna felt his pulse quicken when he looked down and calculated mentally at how far they had just climbed up. It was so fast, his body felt stricken and slack. Tsuna looked over the opposite side from which they had come from and his stomach dropped. It looked only more frighteningly tall from up on the ledge. He gasped when Hibari, with calm ease, took a step onto the sturdy looking branch and jumped down from the tree. For a split second, the innards of his body seemed to stay in midair before dropping again with gravity.
Mukuro quickly followed suit and stepped from the tree branch next to them. Not even hiding his displeasure on needing to follow Hibari either.
Tsuna slowly slid off Hibari's back as the man's hold on his legs slackened. He stood up, and his adrenaline rush was still there, he could feel it because he couldn't force himself to relax as quickly. He watched Hibari to calm himself. The man moved quickly past an overgrowth and the teen nearly jumped out of his skin when he moved out of his sight before coming back just as fast as he disappeared. Steadily in his hands, was bike handles. Tsuna blinked owlishly as the boogie man fully pulled it out of its hiding spot, the bike was a sleek black, like the other cars that existed in this world, but something about its design was different than ones he had seen back home.
Hibari swiftly pulled his leg over the vehicle and looked expectantly at Tsuna. The boy hesitated as he inched closer. He looked back at Mukuro, cautiously because he was well aware of the other man's disapproval of the illusionist. "Where are you going to go?" He almost hated to ask too. The indigo-haired man looked a little bit too hopeful and Hibari look a little bit too annoyed.
"Where ever you will go." Mukuro answered without pause.
Hibari snarled in response before voicing his opinion on the matter, "Absolutely not. He's a liability."
The mist-user scowled angrily, but still tried to address Tsuna nicely, "I have to talk to you. Please. I need to explain. I think you're misunderstanding something here."
The sincerity in his voice was hard to ignore. He stared at the illusionist doubtfully. Actually, he had a lot to ask of Mukuro too. In fact, he needed to bring things out into the light.
He looked back at Hibari and the man met his gaze with a pointed look. He knew his decision would even more sever the thread-thin bond the two already had, but there was simply no helping it. He had to find out the truth. He would ask for the dark-haired man's forgiveness later. Tsuna looked back at Mukuro, a defeated sigh in his words, "I have to talk to you too." The teen cringed at his peripheral vision upon seeing the abrupt snap Hibari's head made towards his direction. "But right now we all need to get out of here. Fast." Tsuna listened to the distant roar of panic over the walls with a spooked look. "Now."
"Chrome and the others have successfully escaped." Mukuro supplied, "They'll be heading in the direction we'll be heading." He gave Hibari a smug look, "Now if you'll lead the way..."
Before Tsuna could read the expression on Hibari's face, the man quickly turned around, revving the bike with a twist of his hand. Tsuna climbed on, wrapping his arms around Hibari's waist. With a hard rev on the engine, the bike shot forward like a rocket and Tsuna heard himself scream. He nearly let go the moment the air suddenly felt like the ocean was crashing over them. He pushed his cheek again Hibari's back and shut his watering eyes closed. He heard a laugh.
"Kufufu, you can't get rid of me that easily," Mukuro's misty voice teased in their ears. Tsuna felt Hibari tense against him. He wanted to look where and how exactly Mukuro was even talking to them through the road rage but Tsuna forced himself to douse his curiosity. Mukuro was an illusionist. For all he knew, he could be already be where they were heading. Where were they heading? He pulled his chin onto Hibari's shoulder, his teeth clacking painfully when they jumped up from a small hill and fell back down with a start. The brown-haired boy stretched his jaw before speaking.
"Where are we going?" Tsuna asked over the roar of wind and the growling of the bike.
"To the infant." Hibari said back simply, not even sparing a glance towards his direction. Infant? As in, a baby? Tsuna asked himself, wondering where in the world did he hear that before. The wind whipped his hair as he thought. Perhaps 'Infant' was a place. Surely, they wouldn't go to an actual baby. It sounded so familiar but frankly he couldn't bring himself to care to think more into it. He'd be home soon enough.
—
The ride to wherever they were headed took almost an eternity. Or, what felt like an eternity. Every second was another second wasted away from home. In fact, Tsuna was beginning to believe they weren't even heading home at all as they moved deeper and deeper in Cielo, past the city, past the woods, past an expanse of abandoned land. Tsuna peered over Hibari's shoulder once again in impatience for probably the tenth time in a row. Where were they headed? It was nearly about two hours since they left and Tsuna's bottom was beginning to become sore. It felt numb from the turbulence and felt prickly from his lack of moving it.
Then they approached it. And by the looks of it, it didn't look at all accommodating as his previous stays. Ahead was sort of what looked like a small village, not a out of country village, but more like a town. The town didn't look bustling with activity, but it didn't look exactly abandoned either. He could tell people were living inside because of the fresh laundry hung out on clothes lines that stretched building to building and the sounds of a dog barking from somewhere near the wall.
But it was surely unlike any other place he had seen before. The buildings looked old, centuries old. It took shape of what he could recognize a mini version of an Italian town. But he could see some reconstruction in appeal to making it more modern, like the gate ahead, which looked much newer than the buildings inside. He could tell, since the walls were a gentle granite while the other buildings inside were made of uneven cobblestones.
Finally, for the first time in almost two hours, Hibari began to slow down. He skidded to a stop in front of the barred gates, and peered up with a glare. As if, the man's annoyed stare was a good enough reason for the gate to open, it did. The barred gates opened its mouth with an inviting pause before Hibari started up the bike again and the gate closed behind them with a gentle loud click. A man greeted them as they drove in, "Welcome back, Hibari!" The boogie man didn't give as much as a flinch in the warm greeting. But judging by the unwavering smile on the man's face however, it seemed like it was a normal thing for him to ignore others.
Hardly surprising.
What was waiting for them inside, however did give Tsuna a small start.
Ahead of them was a long stretched boulevard made of granite setts, probably another addition of the old-looking town. But as big as the street was, there was hardly anyone on it. The maximum amount of people there was idly around was five. And what gave off some bells was the clothes they were wearing. It wasn't like suits or leather material. In fact, the clothes they wore were thin, white, cloaks. But in different sizes. And looked exactly like Uni's. Minus the fat-looking hat. This must be where she is from, he thought with a blink. Maybe she was here right now. With Gokudera. He swallowed thickly. There was a lot he needed to ask. From Hibari, from Mukuro, from Gamma, maybe from Uni, from Gokudera. Especially Gokudera. He was desperately torn from the need to go home and the need for answers.
They headed straight down the road, and finally, a large building came up in the horizon. They approached it with speed he was sure was illegal. Then they stopped abruptly with a loud squeal of the brakes. Tsuna's forehead slammed against Hibari's back with a dull thud. Tsuna tried to sober himself, blinking away the bright lights and peculiar black spots that dance around his eyes. But the man seemed unfazed by the hit, almost as if he didn't even notice it. He looked up at the building before them. There wasn't anything special about it other than the fact it was located at the end of the street and was probably the most largest one to be seen. He wondered, what on earth could they be doing in such a remote place?
They climbed off, and Tsuna's legs shook in alarming tremors. Hibari seemed to notice this, reaching out to him with a outstretched hand and mouth half-opened, as if to comment—
"Tsunayoshi!" A familiar voice cried out to him and he turned to look. Near the entrance, on a long wooden bench was two people. One figure looked unconscious, sprawled on the furniture with his head on the second figure's lap. It took him less than two seconds to recognize the violet-colored hair.
"Chrome!" Tsuna gasped, and ran up to them, dropping to his knees to examine the person unconscious, "What happened?"
She looked stunned for a moment, a bit overwhelmed by her own thought processes. There was so many things she wanted to say to him. But she decided to breathe slowly and answer his question first. "Ken is hurt, so Mukuro-sama told us to wait here." She ran a hand through Ken's wild blond mane gently as she spoke. Tsuna smiled inwardly at Ken's calm, neutral face. He couldn't tell if Ken was lucky or unlucky. His wildest dreams are coming true yet he was out cold and unable to witness it happening. He wondered if Mukuro was the one responsible to cleverly leave Ken with Chrome's care. "The others are exploring the town. We never been here before."
Tsuna turned to look at Hibari to see him with a dissatisfied expression at this piece of information. Huh. So they made it here before them, despite their intense speeding. Even though the illusionist's reasoning towards the beginning of their race was clearly fair and facts, Hibari seemed to have hopes of losing them anyway. "Tsunayoshi," Chrome called with a teary voice, gaining his utmost attention again, "I'm so glad you're alright. I thought...for sure..." She trailed off, and something told Tsuna that she meant and knew something about him too.
He brushed it off with a wave of the hand, "It's alright Chrome, it was kind of my fault for letting myself get caught." He recalled his idiocy in falling for such an easy trick back in Cavalla Il Veloce, "I missed you too." It wasn't a lie. He wasn't quite sure about the others, but he surely did miss Chrome.
"Hey!" Two heads jerked up, Hibari's moved more slowly. It was M.M. It wasn't hard to recognize the fiery hair that approached them with hard clicks of her boot's heels. Tsuna cringed as she suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and shook him once, then twice, hard. "This is all your damn fault you...you pipsqueak!"
She threw him further away, disgusted, and he almost propelled backwards into Hibari, who stood there with a grim look at this new arrival. Something told Tsuna right away the two would hit it off just great. It was sarcasm, but his own joke didn't make him smile. He looked shamefully at M.M who stood stamping her foot in a tantrum. "Now we're stuck in the middle of nowhere no one in their right minds would go!" She put a hand over her forehead, as if she worked hard, and as if it were hot, though Tsuna knew it was a facade, knowing there was no sun to assist the act.
The dark-haired man grimaced, and opened his mouth halfway as if he was going to suggest something—
"I'm sorry," Tsuna blurted out to M.M, and Hibari closed his mouth again, "I didn't mean to cause trouble."
She suddenly stopped this pretense, and turned to glare exasperatedly at him, it was a sort of forgiveness in her own way. "But damn. Why here?"
"That's easy to answer," A suave voice cut in, and Tsuna turned to look at Chikusa who suddenly stood in view, "This is the most isolated place I've ever been to. It won't be easy for the Millefiore and the Varia to follow us here."
"Chikusa!" Tsuna gasped, standing erectly in shock, "You're okay!"
"Of course he is," Mukuro smirked proudly as he came up from behind the others. And the moment Mukuro came, everyone began talking at the same time, "Mukuro-sama!"
"So where are we now?"
"Do we go back?"
"I can answer all of those."
Everyone stilled.
They looked towards the doorway and there the owner of the voice stood. It was a child, even twice as younger than Tsuna, wearing a suit with a mismatching tie and shirt and wore a fedora that was even twice as big as him. The boy stood with an air of an adult, his voice squeaky, but demanded attention and respect. And something in Tsuna lurched, like he knew exactly who this was.
"Acrobaleno!" Someone gasped from behind him, and Tsuna turned to look at them with a raised eyebrow before turning back. He heard that term somewhere else too, but where? He turned back to the pint-sized child, who had his arms crossed and smirked.
"It's been awhile Tsuna." The little kid said, his smug look growing more amused at Tsuna's advent confusion. "You've grown a lot."
The teen was confused. He was sure familiar, this kid, but yet Tsuna could not find any evidence through his memory of meeting such a small child before. It wasn't easy to forget one that looked like this one either. He racked through his brain, looking for any clues about who this person was. Giving up, Tsuna sighed in defeat, "I-I'm sorry, I really don't..." He trailed off, looking for the right way to bluntly say that he had no idea who this kid was.
The boy let out a squeaky laugh, "It's only been four months. Is your memory that bad?" And with a tiny hand, the boy took off his fedora. And Tsuna remembered upon the instant good look at his face and hair. But...But it couldn't possibly be. What stood before him, was a very, very tiny version of Reborn. The man who Bianchi had married. But it couldn't be. It had to be a very younger relative. Seeing Tsuna's conviction to this idea, Reborn shook his head, almost pityingly, "I'm Reborn."
Tsuna smiled, his concious not believing it. It was far too coincidental. This had to be some sort of joke. "Of course it is," He laughed gently at the child and reached out to pat his head.
Reborn gave him a nasty stare in response, "I told you. I am Reborn. We met before at my wedding." As if proof, Reborn's tiny hands reached inside his pocket and fished out a string and held it to Tsuna face. His eyes adjusted to see before he gasped. He gently took it in his hands. At the ends of the cheap string was a large wedding ring, much too big for either of them to wear it but big enough for an adult to. He stared at the engravings that circled the inside of it; 'Reborn & Bianchi'. It was hard, solid proof. But still, it was easy for someone to just steal a ring and claim he's the groom. Far too easy. He handed it back to Reborn.
His suspicion was suddenly dwindling as he spoke, "Tell me then, something that only me and Reborn knows." He wasn't sure what he was expecting really. He hardly even knew that man at all and even this challenge Tsuna wasn't so sure what the answer he was looking for might be.
"On the night of my wedding, I caught you two dancing alone." Was the irritated reply, but Tsuna's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, stunned. It was like a distant still picture in his mind. Hibari, him, dancing in the garden, under the stars. He remembered the uneven, mismatched cobblestone floor that he stumbled on. He had nearly forgotten that had ever happened. It felt like it had occurred years ago, not only four months ago. "Do you believe me now?" Reborn asked again, frowning deeply. The frown looked strange on that face. It was too adult-like, and his eyes had too much experience in them a youth shouldn't have.
"Well," Tsuna began hesitantly, trying to rack his brain for more things he could use from that night, "It was so long ago..."
"We should head inside. We'll talk more." With a twitch of the hand, he adjusted his fedora and followed suit by opening the door himself. He stood at the doorway in a pause. He turned to look at the Kokuyo gang for a long moment in contemplation before he gestured at all of them, "I'm sure you're all very hungry."
It wasn't until then Tsuna realized something; he was tired. He was very tired and famished. His stomach lurched at the word. He was starting to feel dizzy and light-headed now that he had this knowledge. He experienced this feeling once before when he hadn't eaten for hours, but this time was ten times worst. He had eaten little of lunch and no dinner last night. His...debate with Xanxus was so heated and rushed that he forgot that they had literally obliterated his food in the process of their...discussion.
He moved sluggishly behind Reborn as they took their first step indoors since their escape, the sound of everyone's footsteps were loud against the wooden floor. But the most prominent one was Hibari's shoes. The man was so conscious of Tsuna's location, as if he was worried he'd turn away and he'd be gone again. Not that he was ever going anywhere again anytime soon.
The wooden floor transitioned to a forest green rug as they ventured further inside. It was like a mix between the Kokuyo hideout and the Varia castle. The building was old, but it was clean. It was very classy inside, like they had suddenly walked into a vintage historic home in the 1800s. The walls were a natural beige striped with white and was strung with mismatched frames with pictures that had faded from age. He stared at them as they passed and he realized something obvious; everyone was beautiful. Everyone was completely flawless, men and women alike. Who were these people? Was this some sort of gang like the Kokuyo? Or a organization like the Varia? What was the 'Acrobaleno'? And why was everyone so painfully pretty in the pictures? And it wasn't just this place. He looked at Hibari with a quick glance, who was also ethereally beautiful. Even the others behind him, he looked to each person; Chrome, Ken, M.M, Mukuro, and even Ken. Even Ken was handsome in a rugged rough way.
He turned away to stare at Reborn's heels in front of him. He bit his lip. He never realized how much he stood out until now. In comparison to these creatures, he was so...normal, so plain. There was nothing remarkable about brown eyes and brown hair here.
They reached a room, a homely comfortable place with soft lighting from the fireplace. He could assume that this was the living room. Reborn tugged on his hand and shoved him onto the sofa. He sunk gladly into the silky soft cushions. Hibari quickly occupied the empty space next to him. Chrome sat on his opposite side and he hid the relief he felt when he realized it wasn't her counterpart. He wouldn't have never been able to relax if he was stuck between the two men.
"I'll get the food ready," Reborn dully stated as he watched everyone settle in their own seats. They sat in a circle in a organized fashion, in exemption of the fireplace, it was too hot to sit near there. The adult-child opened a door behind Tsuna, and closed it after him. He could only assume that it was the kitchen behind them from the muted clicks and clatter of plates and silverware from behind the door.
Everyone was quiet. He breathed out hard, putting a hand to his eyes and rubbed the nit and grit away. He was tired by the throng of events, everyone was.
When the door opened again, the smell of food instantly hit the air and the creak of wheels was heard coming slowly closer to their direction. It didn't take much for Tsuna to look up, his stomach was controlling his body. There were too many surprises in one day. Much too much to be healthy. In front of him stood Gamma, with a smirk planted on his face. The older man was wheeling around a silver serving cart with plates among plates of steaming hot food. The brown-haired boy didn't have the strength to jump up from his seat to get a better look, only to exclaim, "Gamma!"
"Glad to see you made it," The blond man said, handing a plate over to Tsuna. The teen grabbed it, suddenly awake. He barely studied it before shoving it in his mouth. It was sliced potatoes and chicken with broccoli marinated in cheese. "Whoa, slow down," Gamma advised. He handed Tsuna a fork. "That's not finger food. Eat slowly, or you're going to throw up." He definitely didn't want to slow down, and he certainly didn't want to be nagged at for another moment. But he forced himself to listen to Gamma's advice, knowing the guy was just looking out for his well being. He was impatient and cranky. He needed a lot of sleep and a lot of food before he would ever feel like talking. It was like Gamma could read minds because he instantly stopped talking and proceeded to pass out more plates to the others. They also looked as hungry as him, but were much slower in digging into their food than he had done.
"You want one?" Gamma looked at Hibari, who was just watching Tsuna eat with his arms crossed. Hibari closed his eyes, shaking his head in refusal before turning back to Tsuna, completely soaking up every moment. Tsuna looked up just in time to see something strange; there was a look of understanding on Gamma's face. Like, he had just found someone who was going through the same situation he was. He disregarded it for now, but made sure to ask about it later. Strange look to give a person who just refused dinner.
They ate in stunning silence, their forks clicking against their plates was the only sound heard. Everyone was just as famished as they were exhausted and no one seemed to have the energy make conversation.
When they finished, Reborn spoke, "Now, I suppose you want answers, Tsuna."
Never in his life had he heard such golden words. It was the first time since he came here someone offered to tell him everything. Now with a calm mind and full stomach, he was ready to get what he deserved. "Reborn...why are you a kid?" He didn't know how to put the words delicately.
"Before I answer that, I have to start with Byakuran's current reign." Tsuna nodded for him to continue, that had been one of his questions. Why were people so afraid of him? He remembered the first night he came, no one had done anything when he had been wrongly convicted of something he never did without trial and error. "I believe it was around the time you were born, Byakuran was young and ripe for his age, he was a genius in monopoly. He easily made the Millefiore out of his own plans from scratch. He did everything he could to bring up the organization; drugs, stealing, conning. He was amazing with words and was cunning enough to never get his hands dirty." Reborn picked up a clean spoon and examined it, "But he wanted more. Even with his massive control over Cielo, it wasn't enough. Byakuran then found out about the royals. And he found out who he really was; the King of Hearts. And he found out what all four of them could do."
"You must be aware, Uni is the boss of the Acrobaleno, an organization that consists of seven people, including me." Actually, Tsuna wasn't aware of that but he held in his surprise as Reborn resumed, "It was when Byakuran was first making his moves. He was going to monopolize the royals and use them for his own needs so he started with the weakest of the four, Uni. It's common knowledge what kind of person she is, she's too easy to trick and manipulate." Reborn took a long pause. "When he took Uni, this happened to me."
Reborn paused for dramatic effect.
"I assumed the worse; whatever was happening to me, was probably reflecting on the Acrobaleno's leader. I was desperate to fix myself. When I changed, I didn't have the guts to face Bianchi. No woman in their right mind would ever want a husband that looked a day old. So I left. Only a few hours in our honeymoon in Vienna, and came here. I hoped to fix what had happened to Uni and regain my form."
Tsuna looked at Gamma before turning back to Reborn, "But Uni is safe now, right? She should be safe."
"And she is," Reborn clipped, "But we still can't change back. We don't understand what is happening either."
Tsuna realized something. "'We'? Who is 'we'?"
The man-turned-child shrugged, "The other five members. One of them is Viper. You know him of course. But I suppose now he goes by the alias of 'Mammon'. The other Acrobeleno, you may actually meet them soon enough." Tsuna's eyes widened. But of course, he remembered Mammon. He put him through one of the hardest trials of his time at the Varia. He stared hard at Hibari. And now, his one and only desire was right there sitting next to him. And now he knew why Mammon was such a strange child. Because that child wasn't a child at all, but a true adult. With the way he spoke and the air of presence he carried, it was easy to believe.
"I know there are four royals. Is it true I'm the prince?"
Reborn's eyes flicked to the Kokuyo gang for a moment before he bluntly answered, "Yes." Tsuna felt the room grow uncomfortable. He paused. He never expected a straight answer, and it threw him off. But he was glad. Finally, there was someone who wouldn't beat around the bush.
Comfortable with Reborn's straight answers, Tsuna licked his lips nervously. "Then...can I ask you a really hard question?" Could he speak freely?
"Shoot." Reborn said. Permission was granted.
"What is my purpose?" The question was hard. It was heavy and abstract. There were so many answers to it but now enough words to say in return. Why was he here? Obviously, everyone had been expecting him to show up one day. Why did it seem like everyone was wanting him? Why had Byakuran wanted to kill him? Xanxus planned to use him as a mass weapon of destruction. Why did Uni need him? Why was everything cycling about him? Because he was the prince? Because he had power and potential? What was his purpose? Who was he, really?
Reborn sat on the coffee table in front of them. And all literally stopped their breathing to hear him clearly. "Tsuna. It all began a long time ago when you were five." When he was five? He hadn't even met Hibari when he was five. "We saw...you use your flame once. It was a flicker, a glimpse but it was there. And the first to see that..." Reborn seemed to hesitate, "Was Gokudera. He told us."
And suddenly, Tsuna's world was turned over. His mind stuttered. What? It was like someone had suddenly flipped scalding water over his head. But he didn't have the strength to scream and shout. No...no it couldn't be. All this...this misery, all this pain...the true cause and the very beginning was...Gokudera? But there couldn't have been anyone else, no matter how many faces he brought up. Gokudera was practically been there since they were toddlers. Gokudera...Gokudera... He didn't know what expression he wore, but it made Hibari put a hand to his leg. And the older man leaned over to look into his eyes. And Tsuna looked back.
Had Hibari known this?
Then it clicked. On the night of the wedding, Hibari had confronted Gokudera, very briefly. And he was somewhat surprised that he remembered such an insignificant moment. And he realized; how familiar they acted.
—
The brown haired boy quickly bounced away, knowing Hibari would surely follow. After walking a few meters away Tsuna spun around, hoping the boogie man was already at his heels but was disappointed by lack of anybody behind him. At closer inspection through the waves of people to where he had left Gokudera, he could see why. Hibari was talking to Gokudera. After saying a quick sentence, Hibari immediately turned away and started making his way to the gaping boy.
"You bastard!" Tsuna heard Gokudera say to Hibari's back. Upon immediately insulting him, Gokudera tried to pursue the boogie man, only to run right into a wall of people. "Hey! Get out of my way! You bastard! Where are you?"
Tsuna stared with great incredulity as Hibari came up to him, looking triumphant. "What did you say?"
"Nothing of your concern. Let's go."
—
Oh god. Oh god oh god. Had this been going on since he was five? Gokudera knew about Hibari? And didn't say a single word? Had he been faking his ignorance of Hibari's presence for years? "Before you jump into conclusions, let me explain." Reborn said with a disapproving frown at Tsuna's pointedly accusing expression.
Tsuna cleared his mind, waiting to hear an explanation. "The truth is, we sent Gokudera to watch your movements first. But Gokudera was too bold, too brazen, too naive to watch over you 24/7, he wouldn't be able to stay hidden during the times you two 'parted'. So we sent Hibari Kyoya to watch you during the time Gokudera didn't."
Tsuna nodded. That made sense. Gokudera never did have any means of stealth and did not know what the word subtle truly meant.
"But, I don't understand. Does Bianchi know any of this? She doesn't know where you are?"
Reborn closed his eyes. "Gokudera and Bianchi are half siblings with the same father. Gokudera is aware of his true roots, but Bianchi has no idea of what he's been up to. She has lived a carefree life thus far." It did make sense. Considering the strange, out-of-this-world-like hair color that only belonged to Cielo, them being half-siblings wasn't far off. Reborn's eyes suddenly lit up, as if the mention of siblings sparked a important detail he had just remembered. "You remember the Sasagawa siblings?"
Tsuna was shocked to hear the names of his close neighbors. It was so out of place, so alien in this conversation. Dread pooled in his stomach, settling uncomfortably at the bottom. Churning and flipping feelings gripped him; he already knew where Reborn was getting at. "Of course..."
"They are from Cielo-descent. But I'm fairly sure you had probably figured that out." Reborn commented indifferently. He hadn't. He didn't even suspect a thing. But it made so much sense. Not only had they been active in Tsuna's life, he had always secretly believed that something was wrong with them both; Kyoko was inhumanely pretty and Ryohei had a robust that didn't seem normal. All girls were pretty in Cielo. All men were strange in Cielo.
"Is everyone I know...part of Cielo, in a way?" He asked delicately breathing small, it came out like the wind was knocked out of him. "Even Yamamoto?" He was scared of the answer.
"Yamamoto has no part in this. He probably the most normal of us all. But because of meeting you, he is now distantly involved. In some way, yes, it is true that everything revolved around you is part of Cielo. But neither the Sasagawa siblings nor your father knew of their true origins." It was like the world stopped. Time was slowing down, Tsuna was sure. The expression of horror wasn't leaving his face, and he felt every slight movement in his body. The only thing that appeared to be at a normal speed was the slight shaking of the hand that was squeezing the edge of the sofa. If...if his dad was really a Cielo descendant. Then...then he was...
A Cielonian. It didn't matter how distant, he was one. The evidence was in his veins, red, pumping and alive.
AN: When I started Boogie Man, I never expected so much support, so much love, it warms my heart that I can create a story that can make total strangers become friends. But that also means a lot of pressure for expectations builds up and my updates get slower because I want you to enjoy it even more than the last. Also, I was barraged by a bunch of proposals. A bunch of you guys said, you wanted to kidnap me and marry me etc. And just to remind you guys, I'm a girl. So you can't technically rape me. Ha!
Stuff in the plot: Let's get this straight. Hopefully now, you all kind of get a bigger picture on what Tsuna's role really is. The Tsuna-cycle trio and the Kokuyo meet up at the Acrobaleno base, not the Vongola base (that's where Iemitsu is at the moment, remember, that during the turf war at the theater Reborn changed locations to the Acrobaleno base,) Everything technical is explained, including almost all of Tsuna's friends were of Cielo-descent. And -gasp-! We find out that Tsuna is indeed part Cielonian. Probably 1/56%, but still Cielonian. This chapter was pretty much the fundamentals of how everything in Cielo works. Next chapter will be mainly about feelings and a little bit more meetings.