'thoughts'
"talking"
"talking in italian"
Wow this is the most I have ever written- over 4300 words!
Not to mention that this story has the fastest amount of reviews, likes and follows I have ever gotten so thanks guys I'm really glad you like this XP
Hmmmm what else should I say? Not much really so I guess I hope ya enjoy this chapter as much as the others!
Btw I'm not going to make Tsuna walk just yet- I read it up and usually the latest age is like 18 months and I think crawling Tsuna is adorable~ Talking though will probs come soon because I hate autocorrect trying to mess up baby words.
Please tell me what you think~
A Lost child, A Shopkeeper And How Tsuna got another Magic Book
It was a particularly nice sunny day today so Tsuna decided to go to the park nearby. Picking up his little notebook and his favorite orange pencil he set off without a word to the other people in the house.
A few greetings were given by the more friendly locals on the street in which the boy replied politely with cute grunts and "Hewwos". After crossing a few streets the boy decided to take a break from his journey, sitting on the curb he began to watch the people walk past and observe. Over his many outings he noticed a few individuals in the crowd of others that were... Special. He couldn't really explain how he knew but it was that tugging feeling that he always had and after that incident he knew better than to ignore it.
The brunette liked to write down things about those people that he was drawn too, it helped him remember everything plus he thought he looked kind of smart like those spies or detectives he saw on his picture books. He first wrote their appearances, the clothes they liked and the colors they usually wore. It was interesting, kind of like writing your own book and creating your own characters. Yes. Tsuna liked the sound of that.
He wanted to know more about these people, their tastes in food, where they like to hang out, their personality, their name; it made the boy feel like he had a connection with somebody no matter how weak or fake it was. Some of the people he watched walked alone so the brunette couldn't gather any information through dialogue, only through careful observation with how they interacted with the strangers around them was he able to pick up the subtle hints of their identities and though he would never know their names he made up for that by just giving them nicknames based on their appearance or personality. It took much patience but slowly he built up pages worth of information on his 'characters'.
As he was about to start writing he paused hearing a frantic screech. Looking up his big caramel eyes caught sight of a frazzled, panic-stricken looking woman who he recognized to be called Ryouko Chisake, she usually goes by this street with her daughter Meiko to buy groceries if the toddler remembered correctly. Unlike her usual stylish appearance and snobbish air she seemed ruffled, her perfectly styled hair and always well pressed clothes were messy and creased. "Meiko?! Has anyone seen my Meiko?!" Any bystanders present either ignored her or watched with faces of sympathy, Tsuna immediately felt the need to help the lady- he hated how people seem to be unwilling to help and despite how bad her attitude was toward him before-looking at him with disgust and disdain- he couldn't just sit back and watch as she broke down.
The boy knew that the stylish lady and her six-year old daughter were not on the best terms, he'd watched them fight, he saw when the young girl would grow tired of her mother's snobbish attitude, he saw that sometimes she would just go to the swing set at the park to clear her mind and think. He didn't like the idea of such a fractured family because of miscommunication- it reminded Tsuna too much of his own situation, sometimes for fun he would write a few notes at the end of his little investigations like these about possible solutions to solve such issues. The brunette liked to bitterly reminisce about his own lack of communication and writing down these little bits of advice was his own little form of fantasizing. He didn't really intend to show it to other people, he already had a fear of rejection as it was- but looking at such a distraught expression he could feel his resolve strengthen.
Timidly he crawled up to the emotional woman and tugged gently at the hem of Ryouko's pants. The woman responded instantly by kicking whatever street trash that even dated touch her away from her being. "What the hell do you want street brat?!" She snapped causing the other to shrink smaller in size if that was possible. The sudden harsh voice made the boy flinch in fear however quickly he recovered, eyes determined to help her despite the overall rejection. He crawled back to her and tugged harder until she finally gave the decency to look him in the eyes. For a split second the woman hitched in her breath. For a split second she saw a flash of maturity and wisdom in those large eyes that shouldn't be there for one his age yet at the same time still withheld a pure innocence stronger than any child she had seen. Then the eyes were blocked out of view, rudely pushed away by the sight of a certain page in the boy's small notebook he held in his equally petite hands.
Still a little fazed by those caramel brown orbs the woman wordlessly read the messy writing scribbled on the sheet. Her eyes widened slightly as the words settled on her like snow falling onto the ground. No longer holding an expression of disgust but had it replaced with awe. "Is... This.. True?" Shyly the Wandering Watcher nodded as the bystanders around tried to crane their heads in an attempt to read what was said. Suddenly the notebook was flung back as the woman ran off in the direction of the park- toward the swing set to be precise.
The outsiders watching the show dispersed after that, muttering under their breaths on the ungratefulness and rudeness of the lady, only a few stayed curious about the child. Said child watched as the lady left unexplainable happy she took his advise. He decided to wait a little longer by the street completely forgetting his original goal of going to the park, something told him she was coming back after all.
The few others who were watching the boy were confused, why wasn't he leaving? It was like he knew something was coming.
And in just half an hour something did.
As the last few bystanders turned to leave already regret their earlier decision to watch the strange little child they stopped to see the child who at that time was writing in his notebook look up expectantly toward the end of the street. Suddenly the sound of the clacking of stilettos was heard on the near empty sidewalk as well as the soft footsteps of a small child, then as if appearing out of the surroundings itself the woman threw off all her pride and tackled the brunette in a teary filled hug as the bystanders looked on gaping. "Th..ank.. You... Than..k you so much!" Was all they could hear being muffled as the embrace tightened. A young girl a few years older than Tsuna also gave the small figure a hug- though much more gentler. The brunette was a little uncomfortable with this strange action seeing it down a few times before but never truly experiencing it himself, though he found himself confirming the experience though strange wasn't unpleasant.
After that day word spread about the Wandering Watcher- that he could find what had been lost, fix bonds that had long since broke, help the ones who needed help, heal the broken hearts and comfort the souls of the lonely. Only the little boy himself was unaware of his title and newfound reputation, he did notice more people staring at him as well as greeting him though it only made him feel a little discomforted unused to such attention. However he also saw more interesting people to write about as well as more people that he had a sudden urge to help. It was fun- he found- helping people, they always thanked him and some even gave him gifts; usually it was food since the brunette always looked underweight due to his mother only feeding him the bare minimum but sometimes the more special people gave him other things. The fact that he was very selective in choosing those he wished to assist- only choosing people he felt were interesting and kind which he sensed through his intuition- made the wide-eyed ever curious child seem even more mysterious and an enigma than ever before.
The most memorable gift the boy had ever gotten was when Tsuna met a strange white-haired shopkeeper who immediately saw through his happy demeanour and the breath taking cold loneliness in his figure as well as was attracted to the inscrutable aura of said man, taking it upon himself the child began to visit his shop (which appeared out of nowhere strangely enough) to give some much needed companionship to his new friend. Tsuna decided that the man was a very strange and mystical character, matching well with the shop he owned that always seemed to change location every visit causing the always curious boy to giggle with glee as he made it a challenge to find the place every time with his special feeling. The elder of the two never seemed to look surprised whenever the young child entered despite the fact that the shop was alway surrounded by mist flames that should've protected the place from sight, he always took to the appearance of the ever calm smiling shopkeeper. Over time the white-haired man gave up trying to hide from the child as he claimed to find it such a hassle to move each time though secretly he grew to enjoy the others endearing presence. The feeling was mutual and Tsuna found himself trying to talk with the man with more and more confidence.
The man never told him his name always saying "It wasn't the right time." with a mischievous smile so the brunette just called him Uncwle Shiro because of his white hair. He vividly remembered the slight shock on the grown man's face as well as a spark of affection as the others dark black eyes softened ever so slightly behind his glasses when he first called him that. He liked Uncle Shiro, he really did, he was like the family he had always wanted (though the child was way too embarrassed to say that out loud) and on the fourth visit he decided to timidly show the elder of the two his notebook and scribbles. It was a sign of trust in which the shopkeeper accepted with a small but genuine smile. They grew even closer after that where the white-haired man would tell him about magical flames like his own, how there were eight powerful people who were cursed in order to protect the world and other fantastical stories that Tsuna excitedly soaked up. The boy began to visit the shop at least once a day eager to listen to his uncle's amazing stories.
On the twenty-seventh visit Tsuna told the shopkeeper he had magic flames just like in the stories inside him, he hated lying to his Uncle and frankly he was tired of keeping his secret- he was just a child and despite his maturity and awareness which surpassed many his age he just wanted to be accepted.
At that time a little part of him panicked and internally cringed ready to be rejected like he had been before as the confession was unintentionally blurted out, even Uncle Shiro paused for a moment.
A heavy silence filled the air between them. Tsuna wanted so badly to cry and wished he had the ability to run out of the store right then. However all negative thoughts were blown away as a large hand ruffled his spiky brown hair. "Maa.. Don't look so down kid- I already knew that!" the older of the two chuckled. Now the brunette was the one taken aback and a little angry, how could this stranger just, just accept him like that?! Him- someone his own mother could not truly love?! Unknowingly tears filled his eyes and ran down silently as the young child looked at the shopkeeper with confused wavering eyes. The man though he didn't show panicked for a moment, he had gone through many things in his life but dealing with crying children- especially adorable ones like these- was NOT one of them. "I-I mean because your Uncle Shiro knows everything and the fact is some of those stories I told you are true and uhm.." At that Tsuna stopped crying as he heard those words. "Sow thewe's othews wike me?" His teary caramel orbs looked at the other's endless black ones. "I'm… Not a mwonster?"
Another chuckle, more ruffling in his hair,a small sad smile and a shake of a head was all Tsuna needed to feel a huge weight lifted off his tiny figure. There was still uncertainty and loneliness in the child but it no longer felt so hard for him to breath.
With the largest smile he could muster Tsuna felt the urge to show off his magic to the man, he hadn't shown it to anyone since that incident and to be honest he never thought he would again but the man before him seemed different, he too held a feeling that he was hiding things that also weren't quite… human, dangerous things. Slowly he closed his eyes and focused. To his surprise he felt all ten flames pulsing in excitement in reaction to the man before him, it felt a little easier to control the flames now that a little part of him that had been rejecting himself had disappeared. One by one a small flame appeared on his finger, each it's own different colour to represent it's individual element. The flames were small but unlike before it seemed to exude a sense of calming yet overwhelming power. The boy twirled around giggling excitedly as the flames created almost a little taill making it look like the young child was playing with very beautiful streamers rather than Flames. Suddenly Tsuna noticed the shocked silence that came from his friend and turned to him worriedly. "Uncle Shiwo?" That seemed to snap the other out of his daze. "Ah gomen kid. I just didn't realise you had so many flames.." The boy pouted a little at being called a chibi but decided to dismiss the insult to smile cheerily. "Hai! This flame is Storm-kun, this is Rain-kun, Cloud-kun, Night-san, Sky-san, Star-san…"
As the happy brunette began introducing his flames like they were actual people Kawahira just watched with a strained smile and a raised brow. Even in all the parallel worlds never did Tsunayoshi Sawada ever was able to access ten flames and certainly not at such a young age to boot! The white-haired man grimaced ever so slightly, this universe is definitely a strange one, never did he think he of all people would end up becoming close to the child first but- he smiled again as he watched the rather beautiful sight of the innocent curious child dancing with his many flames- he was secretly glad it happened.
After the little show the shopkeeper ruffled the boy's surprisingly soft brown locks much to the pleasing satisfaction of Tsuna. Saying it was a present for being brave enough to reveal his secret the white-haired man gave the boy some new pencils and a dark orange book with the title written in silver marking out the word Fiamme or Flame telling the now beyond delighted child that the book will also help with his magic training. Never had the boy felt so loved as he hugged the shopkeeper endlessly repeating his gratitude between sobs.
The next day Tsuna left the house with a bunch of flowers in his hands that he picked in the park as a thank you gift for his friend however even as he searched for the day the shop's presence was no longer there.
The young child was heart-broken at first, moping under the trees in the park or sulking behind the Nanimori shrine but it didn't last long as somewhere deep down he knew he would meet his Uncle Shiro again. He continued on his old routine of watching and exploring while also fitting in some time to train his flames with guidance to his books. Most of the flames were handled to a satisfying degree thanks to the detailed information given in his Fiamme guide book however there were three flames that strangely held almost little to no information making it much harder for the child to train. Sky-san the young brunette found was the easiest to train with as he found it almost calmly resonating with his soul however the boy was still unsure of how to properly utilise the flame's special characteristics.
Night-san was the hardest and most difficult to control, the black flame always slipping away from his metaphorical hands as if like a wild horse refusing to be used much less tamed. Star-san was probably the most mysterious flame, it was a clear flame with it's own tiny silver sparks if one looked close enough and seemed to exude an ethereal glow.
The only information about the flame was that it was so rare it was considered just a very uncommonly known myth, the guiding flame it was called. When Tsuna first activated it the clear flame seemed to just dissolve into his surroundings like when you put sugar in water. The surroundings affected by the flame shimmered faintly and sometimes the brunette could see people that weren't there before. He found he could communicate with them and that they were technically no longer from this world but instead were spirits with lingering regrets. Taking pity on them Tsuna found himself not only helping people in the living but also in the undead world not that he really minded, he was always paid back with amazing stories and bits of information he could have never have dreamt of which he wrote in his notebook.
He found he could condense the Star flame however it took almost all his effort and concentration to even try and contain the flame into the palm of his hand as the flame density became so strong to the point it became almost white in colour and that even though it doesn't physically affect a person it can affect souls instead kind of like how the mist flames affect the mind. In a way the star and mist flames were quite similar except one affected the living much better than the other.
But most importantly he found that the act of him singing or at least humming helped clear his mind and control his emotions which in turn assisted in manipulating his flames better, even Night-san was nicer to him when he sang. Any new information he found about these flames over his experimenting and training he also wrote in the empty pages of the Fiamme book hoping to show to his Uncle Shiro when he next meets the man. Tsuna spent many weeks helping people- living and dead alike and the rumours of the Wandering Watcher grew like fire in the woods and it was fun albeit slightly tiring for the child. Sometimes he wished though he had someone like Uncle Shiro again, someone to help fill that empty gap inside him.
It was the middle of a very hot sunny day and Tsuna was currently scribbling messily as he watched curiously a little yellow puffball hopping about next to a slightly larger yellow puffball. Suddenly a tall dark shadow loomed over him and inwardly the two year old shivered a bad feeling washed over him as he looked up to see cold dark brown eyes. "Are you the Wandering Watcher?" It sounded polite and deceptively kind but those cold eyes were obviously doubting the small child before him. The brunette didn't really know where the name came from but he was observant enough to realise that this was the title people referred to him as which suited him fine as he didn't want his real name to burden his family, his very presence did that already. Moving on from that depressing thought he refocused his attention to the tall scary adult even though it wasn't his real name Tsuna didn't really want to be associated with this man who reeks of a dark ruthless character however something also told him the man was more than willing to kill to get his way. His need to protect others had always overridden his need for self-preservation and so after a moments hesitation he nodded warily. The cold eyes narrowed causing the child to flinch. "This man." The older man pushed a picture into small hands. "I want to... see him."
Tsuna recognised the man in the photo Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, a friendly man always with a smile on his face. He'd often see him with his son playing in the park on the weekends and every time they met the man would never fail to give him some very tasty rice balls or some other food known as sushi which was also quite nice. Tsuyoshi was a good man. The brunette didn't want any harm to come across him and he wasn't so naive to realise that this cold man wanted to do something a little worse than just see the man. It wasn't just his gut feeling but also after much interaction with his star flame he found that as an after effect he could feel the presence of other spirits if he tried hard and he didn't even need to try to feel the overall pressure of the countless lingering souls surrounding the man. Looking straight into the man's eyes determined, his own eyes flashed orange though he was slightly trembling he opened his mouth to answer.
"No." As soon as the words left his mouth he could feel the killing intent rise in the tall menacing figure. "No?" It sounded like that word had been scrunched up and spat out. Long claw like fingers reached out to roughly grab the boy by his collar lifting him up so they were eye to eye. The brunette shivered violently as he saw in those cold eyes a gleam of murderous intent, it had been his first time coming across someone so… psychotic. "Tell me now." The killer all but hissed his breath raspy like he had swallowed rusty knives and smelt like iron. Once again the brunette stared with all the defiance he could muster replying his answer. He could hear the click of a gun that rested on his torso, it was too late to use his flames now not that it would help as though he could control them a little better the child had no idea how to use them in battle. He was glad that right now none was nearby this isolated section of the park, Tsuna would never forgive himself if an innocent was harmed because of him. Tsuna shut his eyes tightly waiting for the worst.
One second past
Then ten
Then a full minute went by
Cautiously he opened his eyes to see the now widened eyes of his attacker who seem to shake with… fear?
"Alex Barbizo, for killing twenty-two mafioso, betraying your own familigia by breaking the Omertà and selling out family secrets as well as attempting to kill an innocent child you are sentenced to-"
The voice was hollow and emotionless yet not as frightening as Tsuna expected, Alex however didn't share the same feeling as all blood proceeded to leave his face and in a moment of weakness released his grip from the child. The brunette not wasting the opportunity scrambled away and dashed into the bushes to watch curious of his saviors. He had heard of Vendicare before but only rumours, never had he met someone - living or dead- who had directly experienced the place and that intrigued the child, a little too much for his own good. It was a group of three very tall very intimidating men all in long black torn coats, top hats and for a strange reason bandaged head to toe, covering any possibility of exposed skin to the world. The scary man no longer looked so terrifying as his knees shook and looked like he was close to tears. With a yell he attempted to escape. Keyword escape.
The moment he turned his back the tallest of the three bandaged men unleashed strange silver chains from under his coat, which shot out like a bullet quickly restraining the quivering killer. Tsuna couldn't help but gasp at such a swift attack and the power that exuded from the trio. He couldn't help it. He was entranced, not to mention he sensed night flames from the mysterious men making his inquisitive mind go into overdrive. The brunette saw them open a portal with said night flames. He couldn't let this pass, he knew that he had to satisfy himself and without thinking he reached with his tiny hands and grabbed the closest cloak for once thanking his small figure as well as the the fact he was usually underfed.
"Bermuda-sama we have successfully put Alex Barbizo behind bars. We did not even have to use the force we thought necessary." The trio reported as the bowed down toward a certain baby, sitting on a much to large black throne decorated with black furs and silver carvings. Bermuda nodded satisfied.
"Good job Fico, Ario and Emilio. I just have one question."
They lifted their heads up confused. Usually their boss would have dismissed them by now. Did they do something wrong? Suddenly they heard a gurgle of happiness and they as one all turned to see the cutest -though a little small -two-year old with large honey brown eyes giggling with joy as he fiddled with the torn edges of Fico's coat.
"Who is the child?"