Chapter 19: A Tour of the World

Tsuna couldn't wait. The clock was ticking. He knew that in a few minutes, he would be free. TC had appeared to him. "You better be prepared, Tsunayoshi...Your training is about to get harder. You won't be in school for a while. We're going to train in different locations around the world. Be prepared, after school on January 31st."

So there he sat, in the classroom on January 31st, waiting for the final bell to ring for the day. He looked over at Ty, who was scribbling down his answers to problems. ~Only a few more minutes...~

The final bell rang. Everybody got up and left the classroom to take their transportation home. He walked excitedly down the hall, until, he saw the light at the end of the hall. He stopped dead in his tracks in the doorway. "Oohhh...I'm not going to see this place...for..."

"What are you talking about?" Ty asked. "Where are you going?"

"Uhhh.."

TC's car drove onto the sidewalk. "Hey! Are you ready yet!"

"Hey, wait...ready for what?"

Tsuna sighed. "Oh...just...follow me..."

Ty walked after him up to the car. TC rolled down the window, he was wearing Aviators. He opened the car door, and stepped out. "Well?"

"Yeah...of course...I don't really have a choice."

TC looked at Ty. "You're coming now too...I don't want you to compromise our mission."

"What? What! A mission?" Ty looked mystified.

He was kicked into the trunk. "You'll be in there."

Tsuna was also thrown into the trunk as well. "Both of you." He closed the trunk quickly. "Alright...One last victim..."

Both boys situated themselves in the trunk. "What's going on?"

"Well..." He heard another person get shoved into the car, and two doors close. "You were right about one thing...we're not normal."

"What do you mean?"

"Eh...When that plane crashed...er...I was, uh...given the power to, uh...save the world."

"Yeah, right. Come on, Tsuna...You can't be serious."

"I am...I was told a few weeks ago that I needed to be prepared to go training all around the world."

"You? The power to save the world?"

"Yes..."

"How can you prove it?"

"Well, I did survive that crash, didn't I?"

"Everyone said you were saved..."

"By myself."

"What?"

Tsuna sighed. "There's so much to explain...I haven't even been told all the details yet!"

A small door opened up from inside the car, letting cool fresh air in. "What are you doing back there?"

"H-Hibari-san? What are you doing up there!"

"He threw me into the car."

"He threw us into the trunk, what's the difference?" Ty asked.

Hibari's eyes narrowed. "Why is he here?"

"Ask the big guy, I have no idea."

"He's going to be useful to us on our journey, as will you, Hibari. We need someone smart that can tell us what we need to know, and then someone who can help bail our asses out of jail. He's not a Guardian, so he can't fend for himself. You two are going to have to keep up with him."

Hibari grunted, and sat back in the seat. "Where, exactly, are we going?"

"Everywhere."

Hibari sighed, giving up on asking any further questions.

Both Tsuna and Ty had fallen asleep as the car drove down the road for miles and miles. TC was letting the car drive itself, and Hibari was just staring out the window. "How long will this trip take?"

"A while...I'll make sure that my daughter will let your sister know you're with me."

"What about the other boy?"

"She might..."

"Why did you really bring him?"

"As I see it, Ty is like Tsuna's right hand man...well...left hand man. He's smart, and he may have been able to use a switchblade, but that's nothing compared to a beast like CT...so, I think if Tsuna has someone around to protect, he'll have a better resolve, and a better performance as well."

"You're not as stupid as you sound, sometimes..."

"Hey. I can put you in the trunk too, you know. There's room. Which somehow reminds me, I need to stop off and get food. You hungry, Hibari?"

"Not really, no."

"Well, too bad. TACO BELL."

He made a sharp turn, and sent Ty crashing into Tsuna. They both woke up. "Ouch!"

"That wasn't my fault! What happened?"

The trunk opened. "We're eating. Taco Bell."

They hadn't noticed how hungry they actually were. "Sounds good. I'm actually really hungry."

"Good! I'll explain our journey ahead, as well."

They all walked into the Taco Bell. "Hey, Julio! Bring us one of everything, will ya?"

"Si..."

TC sat down at a table, the others following him. "Alright...so, we're going to Nepal first."

"Why Nepal?"

"Mt. Everest. You're going to learn how to free fall."

"Off a mountain?"

"Exactly."

Ty interrupted. "I still don't understand. This isn't proving anything."

"Ah, Mr. Science finds this hard to believe? How about it, Tsunayoshi. Let us blow his mind."

"O-okay..."

TC went into his trenchcoat and pulled out a Pepsi can. "Soda?" Ty asked.

"Long story."

Following regular procedure, Tsuna chugged the soda, and activated his power. Ty was, of course, shocked at first. But then, he became ecstatic. Millions of questions ran through his mind. "It's scientifically improbable, but yet, you're right in front of me proving it all wrong...this could rewrite the science books!" He looked at Hibari and TC. "But then, what are you guys?"

"I am Zeus, you know...god of the gods? Lightning bolts, Mt. Olympus...yada, yada..."

"I am merely a Guardian...I'm meant to protect him at all costs."

"But, do you have powers too?"

"Not like his, no. I can take control of the power the Clouds produce...My only weapons are my tonfas."

Julio walked over carrying multiple trays carrying bags. "One of everything..."

"Oh, and Julio is a god too...he's my brother."

"Si..."

"Whoa! This is incredible! I feel so honored..."

"You better be, since you're in my presence..."

TC handed Julio a card. "Just charge it..."

"So, why travel all over the world?"

"It's to help learn how to fight in different situations and in different environments. It's useful."

"But what is this all for?"

"You ask too many questions."

"Forgive me, it's in my blood to ask questions..."

Tsuna let the power wear off. "TC's evil twin brother CT wants to take over..."

"If that happens, our entire world will be swallowed by a relentless darkness...no one could survive while his demons roam the earth picking people off one by one. There would be no balance of Light and Dark..." Hibari said.

"Well spoken. I have to find a way to defeat him that won't set the balance off...there still has to be a Dark."

"So, what am I here for? Just my intelligence?"

"Uh...pretty much. I trust you to maybe, take notes and document this as we go."

"Oh..."

TC opened the bags and started taking stuff out of them. "I just realized how bad of an idea this was since we'll all be stuck in a car for a long time, but it's too late now."

"I brought gas masks," Julio said. "But I only have two. You're going to have to fight for them."

He set them on the table, then backed away. Ty received a tonfa to the face, and Hibari took the first one. Tsuna looked at TC. "Y-you can have it..."

"Hey, thanks, Tsunayoshi." He took a bite of a Doritos Locos Tacos. "That's good...real good."

They all received their fill of food, and piled back into their places in the car. TC gave Tsuna and Ty a flashlight each, and some things to read. Ty was reading through a magazine, and Tsuna was staring at the trunk door. Hibari was watching the landscape roll by and change. Ty rolled onto his back and closed the magazine. "I wonder how far away from home we are now..."

"I don't know...and I also don't know why TC isn't just teleporting us to the places we need to go..."

"I totally forgot I could do that!"

The entire car was transported through time and space to a lodge near Mt. Everest. The trunk opened and frigid air rushed in. "Whoa, it's cold!"

"It's a mountain! Of course it's going to be cold. Get out."

Both boys jumped from the trunk. They put bags onto a cart, and then lugged it inside. TC went up to the check in counter, while the boys remained by a heater. "S-sorry guys..."

"It wasn't you..."

"Alright guys...let's go." TC walked over carrying room keys. "Up to the last floor."

They rode an elevator up to the final floor. They walked down to the last room, and opened the door. The room was very large. "Whoa...that's huge!"

"Indeed...it's the best room they have. It even has a hot tub for warmth!"

TC walked in and scouted out the kitchen and the beds. "Perfect. I'll have a bed all to myself. One of you will have to share, and the other can take the sleep couch. Or, one of you can sleep on the cold floor."

"I'll share," Tsuna said. "I don't mind..."

Hibari gave Ty a death glare.

"I-I'll take you up on that offer..." He moved away from Hibari, ever so slightly. "Which bed is ours?"

TC pointed to a king size bed in one corner. "That one. While mine is that one." He pointed to a double king. "Don't get too comfy yet, we still have some things to do."

Tsuna tossed his bag onto the bed and pulled clothes out. He put them into a drawer. "What about clothes for Hibari-san and Ty?"

TC tossed bags onto the sleep couch and onto the king bed. "Got it covered...I know what I'm doing, Tsunayoshi. Get coats on, we need to go out and scope the area."

The area was still cold. They roamed around at the bottom of the mountain, TC looking for the best place to train where little to nobody would spot them. It really was beautiful. Tsuna looked up at the mountain, barely able to see the peak that was being hidden by clouds. Ty was smiling at its brilliance. Hibari didn't really care. TC stopped walking. "Right here." He pointed up to the peak. "Just right. There isn't enough people here to be spotted..."

"That sounds like a good thing, I guess."

"I'm not for advertising your 'save the world scheme' just yet..."

"My scheme?"

"We're going to have to make it up the mountain...Tsunayoshi, you're going to have to climb for a while..."

"W-what! Climb! Don't like...a bunch of people die on this mountain trying to climb it!"

"Yeah...but you won't die. I just want you to go as far as you can...and then we'll talk about how you're going to get up after that."

"Can't I just, like...fly up?"

"No. You need physical strength."

"Can I fly up when I get to the checkpoint?"

"I said we'd talk about it."

"Bu-"

"Zip!"

Tsuna closed his mouth. Hibari kicked a rock over. Ty looked at the ice that formed on the bottom of that rock. "We're going to start tomorrow, so you better try and sleep well tonight."

They marched back to the lodge, ready to warm up in the hot tub that was waiting for them.

Tsuna, Ty and TC sat in the hot tub. "This feels wonderful..."

"Yeah...it's so warm!"

"Why aren't you enjoying the hot tub, Hibari?"

"Because I'm not..." Hibari laid his head down on a pillow on the couch.

"Well, that's no fun!"

He didn't reply. They all shrugged.

KT shuffled through a few files. She straightened out her skirt, then glared at Nana, who was sitting across the room from her. "This is a case regarding the custody of a child?"

"Yes," she said. "This woman, his own mother, told me specifically that she did not want him to come home when he was released from the hospital...she neglected him when his father died, telling him all the time that he was an accident and not meant to be. He lived so many years of his life without love from his mother, I think my means are being justified for me. She never showed up for the first trial, do you really think she wants custody of her son?" She stood up. "He loves his mother to pieces, he's been so afraid that he was the cause for his father's death. But he doesn't deserve to live somewhere that he's reminded of that everyday."

The judge looked at Nana, who seemed unphased, and certainly uncaring. "Do you have anything to say in rebuttle?"

"And do what? Lie about it? Yeah, I said those things. I don't want him where he can endanger me. She can have him. I never wanted him. He was never supposed to be born, he was an accident, something that was meant to save our marraige."

KT clenched her fists. The world outside became dark and gloomy. The judge was in shock. "Case closed, custody of Tsunayoshi Sawada is hereby under the jurisdiction of Kera-Taka."

She saw Nana walking down the sidewalk. Her anger had not subsided. She quickly walked up to her. "You're wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"You're wrong about him...He is not a monster, you're the monster! He has a purpose here...A big one. You're too ignorant to realize it! Good luck, and enjoy being hated by your own flesh and blood..."

"It's no skin off my nose...I hate him just as much for what he's done to me."

"What? What could he have possibly done to you? He had no place in causing your husband's death...that's a fault against him."

"He is a constant reminder to me that I messed up."

"You messed up?" She laughed, but it sounded like the chuckle of evil. "The only mistake you've made here is crossing me."

"He looks too much like his father...I can't stand to look at that everyday."

"Well, I guess you won't have to, will you? He's better off with me anyway. I can support him, and actually love him, unlike you. He's destined for great things. You'll see your mistake when the day comes...I promise you."

"How much longer do I have to do this!"

"You've got a while."

He grabbed onto a jutting rock and pulled himself up slowly. Despite the cold, he was sweating profusely. Hibari and Ty were sitting inside a camper's cave. TC walked inside. "So, he's not even halfway to here yet."

Ty was chewing on a bagel. "Do you really think he's going to make it?"

"Sure, if he tries hard enough." He looked at Hibari. "How about that training spar I promised you?"

"Hn..."

Ty continued to munch on his bagel as the two faught it out inside the cave. He went to the opening and looked down. Tsuna was still climbing; he had hit the halfway point. He walked back inside. He sat on a cold rock and started to write in a notebook.

~This hurts! Ahh...~ Tsuna closed his eyes and took deep breaths. The frigid air burned his dry throat. He coughed. ~It's so cold!~

~"Hang in there, kid...you can do it."~

~I can't! I can't! It hurts! I can't breathe; I'm cold!~

~"Relax...stay focused...You can do it. You can tap into your power, very slightly, but you can...I promise you."~

"How?" He called outloud.

~"Just focus for a minute...Focus on my voice; on me."~

He kept his eyes closed, and tried to breathe even breaths. In his mind he saw the figure of his other, his eyes closed as well. He felt power course through him like the blood in his veins. He opened his eyes. He didn't feel cold, and he wasn't tired or in pain. He started to climb again, a faster pace. Ty looked over the edge again and noticed this. "Whoa..." He looked at TC. "He's picked up his pace...significantly!"

TC looked at him. "What do you mean?" He dodged a tonfa to the head. "Has he passed the halfway point?"

"Uhhh...Yeah, he's like...almost here."

He walked to the front and looked down. "Holy..."

Tsuna placed his hand on the edge of the cave opening, and pulled himself inside. He took a few deep breaths. "That...was...terrible!"

"You've made it halfway to the top. You get to fly the rest of the way up." He dropped a can of soda on his chest. "We'll meet you at the top, then!"

Hibari, Ty and TC all disappeared.

KT sat at her favorite spot in town. She took a sip of her Starbucks coffee, and turned a page in her book. She heard fast footsteps walking up the sidewalk. "Kera-Taka!"

She looked up and smiled. "Hello, Habira..."

"Have you seen Oniisan?"

She closed the book. "I forgot to tell you...he's on a trip."

"A trip?"

"Mhm...he'll be alright, he's on a world trip with Tsuna, TC, and Ty."

"That's so unlike him...okay, then."

"Sorry about that...anything going on lately?"

"No, not really...what's that?" She gestured to the folder on the table next to her book.

"They're legal papers..."

"For what?"

"The custody of Tsuna...I won in court this morning..."

"Oh. Congradulations."

She sighed. "It wasn't much of a fight, though...she pretty much gave him up to me."

"That's horrible. Didn't she love him?"

"She claims to have never cared..."

She looked sad. "Well, I'm glad you won...he has a better family now."

KT smiled. "You're right..."

"Aright! So, shall we begin lessons on free fall?"

"I have a question." He raised his hand.

"I swear, Tsunayoshi, if it is something completely irrelevent or idiotic, I will push you off this mountain."

He lowered his hand. "Nevermind..."

"No, actually...speak your mind."

"No...I don't want to be pushed off."

"I'm telling you to tell me."

"But you just told me-"

"Forget what I told you! Just ask the damn question."

"Uhm...Why is there a Burger King up here?"

"What the fuck-" He turned his head. "Holy shit. There's a Burger King up here!"

"TC? Why are we walking through the drive through?"

"Because I have always wanted to do this...do you have a problem with that?"

Tsuna sighed. "Hello, welcome to Burger King..."

"WHOPPER..."

"Sir..."

"WHOPPER NO ONION."

"Excuse me, I'm fucking bleeding from the ears here...okay? Let's turn the main down a tad, okay Skidro?"

"LARGE FRY, MOTHER FUCKER. I CAN'T HEAR YOU BURGER KING! ARE YOU READY TO ROCK BK BROILER?"

"Sir..."

"YOU HEARD ME BK BURGER...I WANNA LARGE FRY, WHOPPER; NO ONION. PICKLES, EXTRA PICKLES...CHEESE."

"Did you really just do that? You bought food at the top of Mount Everest..."

"From Burger King? Yes, I did."

"What's the purpose of this?"

"If you really must know, it's to put you under a different situation...nobody ever said you'd be in perfect health the day CT plans to attack...you may be extremely sick that day, puking every where...this is to bring about nausea and put it to the test."

"That's not very..."

"Yeah, get over it." He pushed Tsuna to the edge of the cliff. "Are you ready?"

"Uhm..."

"Go!" He kicked Tsuna off the ledge.

"HIE!" He started to plummet towards the earth. Ty and Hibari looked over the edge.

"Yep...that's earth's gravity for you...9.8 m/s²."

"Alright boys, let's jump."

"What?"

TC snapped, and their clothes were changed into free fall suits (The things that look like flying squirrels!). "Yeah, we're going to jump! LEARN YOU SOME GRAVITY!" He kicked Ty off the edge. Hibari gave him one glare. "You're going too."

[MEANWHILE]

"How you hanging in there, Tsunayoshi!"

"AHHHH!"

"Sounds good! Just keep going!"

Ty screamed above them. "Oh yeah! I forgot to mention...You're also going to have to save him before he hits the ground!"

~Why should I have expected anything less?~ He turned his body around to look up. The ground was approaching quickly. A split second before he would have hit the ground, he expelled streams of flame from his hands that suspended him above the ground. They worked in pushing him back up into the air. He caught up to Ty in his free fall, and grabbed him, pulling him up momentarily. He discontinued the jets, and they started to fall. He saw the ground approaching again. He went to do the same as he had done before, but his power was gone(!). They slammed into the ground. They both sat up, rubbing their heads. "I thought you were going to save us! Not smash us into the ground!"

"It wasn't my fault! I used up all the power I had!"

"Yes, Tsunayoshi...but you put yourself in front of him as to take more damage...that was good. Now...where's Hibari?"

A flying tonfa smacked him in the back of the head. "I don't need to fly to get down..."

"You're a scary mother fucker, aren't you? Okay...so, wanna do it again?"

"No!" Ty and Tsuna replied together.

"But, that's not enough to learn how to do it."

"I got it! It is forever inscribed in my brain!"

"You learn too fast for a dumbfuck..."

"Count it as a blessing...can we go inside now? I'm freezing!"

TC snapped and they were transported inside. They all pulled off their coats. "Better?"

"Much..." He flopped onto the bed, and passed out.

"How does he do that!" Ty asked.

"How'd he know he was going to do that?" Hibari inquired.

"He still looses too much power...It's getting better, he managed to stay awake until he got here..." TC observed.

"Does it really take that much out of him?"

"His body isn't strong enough to retain consciousness after so much power is used...we'll have to work on that."

Tsuna awoke hours later. TC, Ty and Hibari were sitting at the table eating dinner. He got up quickly. "Food..."

"Nice of you to join us in the land of the living..."

He sat down. "I'm really hungry..."

"Yeah, yeah..." TC set a plate in front of him. "Just eat."

He scarfed down his food like a monster. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"No..." he said with a mouthful of food. "So, where are we going next?"

"You'll see tomorrow...just finish up."

(A few months later...)

"So, are you having fun?"

"Eh...I guess. It's cool being places I've never been...like, oh! Like Germany! That was really fun."

"I bet..." His other adjusted the reading glasses on his face. "I've only read about it..."

"Well, you're me...so, you've technically been to Germany!"

"Tehcnically...Where are you headed next?"

"I dunno...OH I think he said Paris."

"Ah...France."

"Mhm...I'm excited...though, I think I already know what he has planned there..."

"A jump off the good old Eiffel Tower...sounds fun, and very illegal."

"And dangerous!"

"You're doing fine with your training, kid...I don't think you should be all that worried about it."

"He started to teach me that freezing thing you showed me."

"Zero Point Breakthrough."

"Yeah! It's so hard..."

"It just takes time...you have to learn how to get into minus mode without hurting yourself."

"Yeah...I've passed out a whole bunch of times..."

"Just try to be mindful...You never can tell when evil is lurking around the next corner."

"I know...I always have my mittens in my pocket...Why did you get fingerless gloves instead of mittens?"

"Don't ask me...I just think they're pretty cool..."

"Oh...I guess it's time to wake up to start another day of training."

"Good luck, kid."

"Thanks!"

Whooo...finally another chapter. Sorry about the wait. SO HEY, for all you Hetalia geeks out there, I totally had an America moment. I live in the part of northern Alabama that was hit by the really bad tornadoes April 27th, 2011. So after they had, like, a nation wide silence moment, they played "God Bless the USA" and I went ALL AMERICAN with it. I sang and did epic motions with it too...IF YOU KNOW WHERE THE BK THING IS FROM, I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER.