Families and secrets I

"Mi ricordo la mia vita… " The young teen slowly pronounced as he wrote down the sentence.

He had been sitting for two hours, practicing Italian. The language was part of his father's heritage, even though the blond-haired man was half-Japanese. The head of CEDEF was the worst father in the world, Tsunayoshi would say to whoever asked, and probably someone that must not have kids. He didn't want to deal with the man, he didn't want to communicate with him, however he wanted to meet his father's family. Anton had told him that they formed the Giornata Famiglia (Family of the day) and were in alliance with Vongola. His tutor had mentioned that he thought that no one from his father's family knew about him. The Giornata Famiglia was primarily Italian with a few foreign roots such as Japanese, Russian, and French mainly. Therefore, he was also learning Russian and French.

It wasn't easy, but knowledge seemed to come quickly to him after years of being blocked by a seal. His body was still suffering from the seal, sometimes he wouldn't eat despite the burning hunger — whilst under the seal, he would go some days without eating at all because of some of his peers stealing his lunch — sometimes he would stare at the ceiling above his head for the whole night. He would be sick for a day. His tutor was making sure he got proper rest and care each day, making the recovery easy.

"T—"

He had never been so happy. Being out of school, that damn system that nearly killed — how many times did he try to end his life ? — was pure bliss. The teenager had been broken. Pieces could not be healed. Time would only tell.

"Tsu—"

He put down his pen, looking down at the text. He smiled a little ; he had been able to write more than the previous days. He closed his notebook then stretched his aching back and arms. He was tired, more than the day before. Someone put a hand on his left shoulder pulling him out of his thoughts. He turned around to face his tutor, the man was a mystery that not even the Hibari clan could really comprehend.

"Tsuna. I was calling you for a few minutes. It's time for you to nap." His tutor gently said, leading him to the large bed beside the game space of his bedroom.

In a few minutes, the teenager fell asleep under the watchful eye of the assassin.

No classes, his tutor had said. No homework, nothing.

Relaxing days happen once in a while. He found them amazing and cherished them a lot. He was accompanying his mother and tutor to the Hibari clan mansion. The place was rumored by the inhabitants of Namimori to be horrible. Whilst the clan might be terrifying, the building itself was magnificent.

"Welcome to our home, Yamada-san, Anton-san." Akiko said while bowing in greetings then she led the guests inside.

The teenager followed the two adults, feeling a bit lost. Flames flowed through the property, they danced around him, it made him wrap his own flames around his broken soul. As he walked into a large room used for meetings, he noticed a slightly older teenager with dark hair and dark eyes staring at him with interest. Tsunayoshi barely recognized him as the Demon of Namimori Public schools. While the adults settled on the ground, sitting on a tatami, the young teen sat in front of the younger child of the Hibari main family.

"Let's begin." Kensuke said with a small smile, shooting a warning glare at his youngest son to treat their guests with respect.

"Herbivore." Hibari Kyoya greeted.

Tsunayoshi frowned for a few seconds before remembering facts about the older teenager. He greeted him back politely and settled to wait in silence. Kyoya narrowed his eyes but otherwise, he didn't say anything. As the adults spoke, the teens began to eat some snacks and drink a cup of tea.

Kyoya was curious. He knew that Yamada had removed her son a few weeks ago from school. It had been then discovered that the herbivore had suffered from bullying from his peers and his teachers — teachers that had been fired. The public schools of the town were being reformed by the Hibari clan. It was the first since 1950 that they actually intervened. Bullying was forbidden. Being caught on bullying would be severely punished by the clan. His parents hadn't told him anything, only to keep doing patrols around the town and to keep in check sinners (as his mother called them).

"Why don't you come back to school?" Kyoya winced at his own wording, cursing himself, as he waited for the younger teen to answer.

"I prefer to be homeschooled to be honest. I don't think I'll ever step again in those damn schools." Tsunayoshi admitted to Kyoya. "I love my tutor. It's funnier than ever."

"Hn. Father told me he's teaching you how to fight."

It was true.

"Yes. Are you aware of..?" He trailed off, wondering if the teen knew about the mafia. Seeing the other nodding, he continued. "I'm the heir of Vongola. My tutor has been sent to watch over me (and my mother), but when he saw our states, he began taking care of us."

Kyoya nodded. It made sense. The herbivore looked healthier than he had been in the past. But the consequences of what happened to him were still there. He could see his hollow eyes, he could feel the sick aura around him, and he could hear the silent screams of his soul. It was frightening. The teen was sky despite the fact his sky flames were weaker than his primary flames, he could feel them becoming powerful. The young heir would certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

He felt ashamed for not noticing before. He knew that his parents even felt guilty for not noticing how hurt the Yamadas were.

"They seem to get along." Akiko noticed a small smile on her face as servants stepped away.

Her husband took a sip of his cup of tea, silently nodding.

Nana felt happy for her son. She knew he had been very lonely, having a friend could provide him some comfort.

"Their flames are in tune." Usopp said in a low tone, watching the pair discussing things they were not privy to.

"Yes. They might harmonize in the future." Akiko confirmed with a smirk. Then, she turned her head towards Anton. "You could harmonize with your student."

"We're not compatible." The young man revealed with a sigh ; he didn't want to form a bond with a sky.

"Kyoya will be a better choice for Tsunayoshi." Kensuke leant towards his wife, whispering something to her before he straightened his back and turned his attention towards the assassin, silently observing him.

It was unnerving. Fuck, he's on me. Usopp thought to himself as his face became blank, he didn't want the others to easily read him.

"I.." Nana trailed off, not knowing how to word her thoughts. "It's time for me to go back to the underworld."

The announcement surprised the three other adults in the room.

"I've been training in the past few weeks to regain my skills. I've been planning to make a good show for the world to watch. Before the bastard, I was a thief and sometimes a mercenary. I wasn't really in my family business. My departure has hurt them, they no longer speak with me. It's time I assume my mistakes and move on." Nana added, thinking about her past as a renowned thief — stealing from rich people — and as a mercenary.

"What do you plan to do?" Akiko asked excitedly, wondering which infamous thief the woman was.

"Stealing the biggest Dfrök from the Rock family." It was a large statue used as a symbol for the mafia family, a symbol of power and richness. It was hidden within their main base, in a temple dedicated to the first boss of the family — or that was what people said. From the information she had gathered, the statue was made in Ancient Greece by a follower of Dionysus, it had been passed from owner to owner until the Rock family stole its previous owner.

"Interesting." Nami would have loved her. The young man thought as sadness washed over him. As days passed, he felt he would never go back to his world, to his friends.

"I'll help. It'll be fun!" Akiko said, getting her husband to roll his eyes.

"If you wish , it's time to move on." Nana agreed with a small smile. "Now I have to install my altars once more and make amends with my patrons."

"I didn't know you were a pagan." Kensuke remarked with a raised eyebrow. She would fit well in his clan as several members were pagan themselves.

It had been quite a revelation, Nana remembered with nostalgia. During her teen years, she had several remarkable dreams about the Greek gods, and more especially her patrons. It had prompted her to do some research on the subjects, then she had started practicing. She was now teaching her son about the powerful beings of their world, letting choose his own beliefs. Her clan had never quite understood why she converted herself to paganism, but they supported her nonetheless.

"Stealing the statue is symbolic for you?" Anton asked in a quiet tone, breaking the silence.

"Yes." Nana didn't elaborate, she didn't need to. The young assassin smiled at her, accepting her silent explanation.

Usopp was a follower of the Order of Demons, the Realm of Demons, those powerful beings that watched over his world and acted when things became out of hand. Ancient laws however prevented them from doing more than needed. His world was, according to the ancient texts of his family, vassal to the one that belonged to the demons. However, his world was powerful enough to stand on its own. It would be a time when the two worlds would be smashed together as they would be both powerful as one. Demons had been improving his world for thousands of years (according to his mother). Atsm was part of the Kings' and Queens' Order ; they — neither male, neither female — were the one to create the Devil Fruits. An handmade gift for one of their lovers four thousand years ago. They had used the World of Danger — as Demons called it — as an anchor to produce the fruits. They had made rules however in order to not power too much the users.

Demons were powerful beings that humans had no chance to truly understand if they didn't open their minds. Usopp felt lucky to have his mother teaching their family's ways.

"I'm not religious." Kensuke said while Akiko mentioned she had always been interested in learning about the different religions of the world.

"You believe in spirits." His wife told him.

"Spirits are quite real." The pirate found himself saying.

And then, the topic of their conversation was completely lost as they started to speak about their own beliefs.

From time to time, he found himself screaming.

He often woke up screaming, trying to reach his captain as the shichibukai ripped him from Sabaody Archipelago. He often saw the fearful and distressed faces of his crew as they one by one disappeared as if they had never existed in the first place. Dreams of his crew became nightmares. They played with him, lowering him in the pit of nothingness.

Don't… despair. He had distinctly heard in one of his nightmares; a message from one of his patrons, watching over him as he struggled to find a way back to his world.

He sat soaking in sweat on his bed, staring at the darkness surrounding his bedroom. He was in trance, feeling the comforting touches of his deceased mother as she soothed his fears. Then, she disappeared after a while, after he finally relaxed. He missed her.

Sometimes, he would not sleep at all. He would stare at the ceiling, distantly hearing the chants he would do with his family. His grandfather had died one year before his mother of the same curse that plagued their bloodline. His mother had once told him that he was one of the lucky newborns with the ability to bend the curse into blessing. While he certainly didn't believe her, he wondered about the roots of the curse itself, if it were really a curse.

Usopp wandered through the deserted streets of Namimori, barefoot. He strode like a king of a fallen kingdom, watching the dead rising and witnessing the victory of the enemy as a whole, walking to a certain death. Honor, people might say. To die among soldiers was an honor. But he was no king, he was only a lost soul in a world that didn't belong to him nor had a place for him. The strangeness of the atmosphere pressured him, overwhelmed him at night.

Here, his mind suddenly said, preventing from moving further into the darkness. The silence was broken by loud steps running towards him. He was no civilian, he was perhaps no assassin even though being an assassin was slowly changing him into something he didn't want to see, he was a pirate. Living on the dangerous seas as a pirate wasn't easy, it was full of danger (and adventures as his captain said). His body moved before a knife could scratch his flesh, he caught it and sent it back to its owner. He rolled down on the ground as someone attacked him by his right with a sword, he pulled out his enhanced flame gun and fired. His mist flames quickly surrounded the fighting area, pressuring the civilians to stay asleep through the chaos as he jumped over the back of one of his enemies.

He felt it.

Weak sky flames trying to reach his cloud flames.

And he raged.

"Bring your inner self and rage. Don't let them cage you." His mother had once said to him as she tucked him in his bed.

His self-control went down still. He tore apart his enemies, smashing heads together until they blew up, pulling hearts from chest, and… He blacked out. His body moved on autopilot as he killed every single element that came to him in hope to cage him, to capture him, to hold him for a few hours in order for the sky to forcibly bond him. His cloud flames supplied him knives, bullets, and arrows until he could no longer stand on his own as flame exhaustion hit him hard.

The sky escaped. It wasn't the end, he thought as the Hibari Clan arrived in numbers. He watched them beating down the last combatants. They could have killed them however Usopp thought they needed information.

He pressed his face against the ground, violently shaking, his mask still in place. The head of the clan kneeled beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take care of you. They won't get you." Because somehow Kensuke knew, he probably had felt the unknown sky roaming in his territory.

As Usopp succumbed to the darkness, memories flashed in his mind. The sky had escaped. The threat wasn't dead. I'm too weak, I should have been…

Usopp hadn't spoken a word on what had occurred two weeks ago since he had woken up in the Hibari's main house guest room.

But Kensuke and Akiko knew. The security was reinforced around Namimori as Hibari patrolled more often through the town, unnerving the civilians, who wondered what could have happened.

"That night, you know…" The dark-haired man started as he was sitting across from the young man in the tea room. "You truly felt like a cloud. Stop hiding this fact from you."

Usopp widened his eyes. Was the man sermoning him like he was one of his sons? Kensuke grinned when he saw the look in his guest's eyes.

"I don't know what you're hiding, Anton. The mist Officer will find out in no time, be sure of that. You're caging yourself, it's not healthy."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Kensuke smirked. "You know. You know what I'm talking about."

The man was definitely on him. The sniper could easily compare him to one of the characters of Naruto, a very intelligent man. He would double his efforts to remain hidden.

"No one has to know who we are. If words go to the World government, you'll be hunted down and slowly killed." His grandfather gently — as gentle he could be — explained to him as he rested in his sick bed. "If you find someone worthy of your secret then…"

Usopp didn't respond to the man's words, he simply smirked, silently challenging the other. As he drank the tea, he turned his attention towards his student studying Mandarin alongside Kyoya. He narrowed his eyes sensing how the two elements danced around each other, he smiled softly.

Tsuna would harmonize naturally with people.

On his own.

Perhaps, harmonizing with Kyoya would help him recover a bit more from the seal.