Saturday was somewhere between boring and vaguely interesting. As a half day there wasn't nearly as much to classes, and he was glad to leave after the bell that normally signaled lunch. Hibari was already at the gates by the time he got there which, really, just wasn't a surprise.
Rumor had always said Hibari barely paid attention in classes, but always had the answers, so he must be quite smart, or have a very good memory. Kusakabe was there, too. Tsuna came to the logical conclusion that they would be—actually, he had no idea.
Hibari, once the students had dispersed, said to him, "We will eat at the shrine, then enter."
He nodded and they headed off. That he didn't have lunch was beside the point? No matter, Kusakabe produced three bento boxes and handed them out, so at least he would not be going in to fight on an empty stomach.
Unsurprisingly, there were no other people there. The shrine didn't see much traffic except during certain holidays or festivals. They ate in silence, but before they got up to go in, Hibari said, "Omnivore. Explain to Kusakabe about your reasons, from the beginning."
Tsuna held back the sigh trying to escape and nodded, then launched into the explanation again, about the class trip to Tokyo and how he had slipped away, found who his intuition had led him to, how he had broached the request as delicately as he could, and the resulting rebuff because the target wasn't in Japan.
He talked about how he got sucked into Mementos, what he had seen of the Phantom Thieves—
And realized if he really wanted to he could probably get all their names, just by figuring out what school those uniforms were connected to (though the first calling card had been placed on a bulletin board at Shujin Academy, so that would be an excellent start).
—and how he had been attacked. The mask, the voice, all of it. And then six weeks of solo hunting in Mementos before gaining enough experience to have the courage to talk to Hibari. "I don't know if I can piece together exactly how they're making the big ones confess, aside from knowing about the calling cards. I suspect there are smaller ones, because there's a website for them, that takes requests in the forums. I figure those ones are found in Mementos, if … if they can be verified? It's not like I can go back to Tokyo and get the guy I talked to to confide in me."
"What is the website address?"
Tsuna pulled out his phone and brought the site up, then showed the screen to Kusakabe, who nodded and brought it up on his own and bookmarked it, then tucked the phone away again. Tsuna put his own away as Hibari stood up.
Just moments later they were all entering Mementos.
"We shall try the second path," Hibari said as he set out.
The way down was the usual, so he was fairly relaxed, and thought to mention, "Ah, the armor I washed last night is all garbage in comparison to what we have. I need to remember to sell it when we go to leave."
Hibari nodded.
"Uh, you've noticed that all our funds have merged?" he said as he picked up the drops from another group they finished off.
Hibari stopped and gave him a quizzical look.
"I keep a close eye on my funds because I need to know what I can afford, in here or outside. And then after you joined, well… Lots of money, way more than I could access before. And now I'm worried about my spending for an entirely different reason."
After a long (uneasy for him) pause, Hibari said, "If you overspend I will tell you. And then I will bite you to death."
"Right. Okay." No need to panic.
They hit the safe zone at the end of the third level and kept right on going down the stairs into uncertainty. The first shadow they triggered—
Tsuna shrieked, then went red in embarrassment when both Hibari and Kusakabe glanced at him. The creature—he paused to check the interface—was an Incubus. It looked like a pinkish winged demon with a massive red and black-striped horn emerging from its … crotch.
He was too young for this stuff!
Feeling very flustered he shot at it, and the thing hit the ground. Clearly it was weak to [Gun].
Hibari let out a little sigh and smacked it with his tonfa, killed it, then pointed at the Tin Clasp left behind.
Tsuna grabbed it, feeling like he needed to wash his hands, then glanced at the interface again. "Huh… Don'yoku no Michi," he said, trying to sound normal. "I wonder how many levels."
Hibari headed for the next shadow lurching around, so Tsuna shrugged and followed. He just couldn't be surprised that Hibari had taken over as leader simply by virtue of doing what he always did, and Kusakabe seemed just fine with it.
Don'yoku no Michi had five levels, though the third level was a rest area. There were a lot more shadows on that Path, ones he hadn't seen, and ones he had seen or picked up through Fusion. None of them were particularly difficult, though. The highest creature level was sixteen, an Archangel.
The safe room at the end of the final level had a staircase down, and it wasn't blocked. Hibari eyed him.
"I imagine because Kusakabe-san joined us."
"This Path did not seem much harder. I vote we go down," Kusakabe said.
Hibari nodded and hit the stairs.
The next path was Yokubō no Michi. They found a rest area on level four, which prompted Kusakabe to say, "If this follows the pattern of above, I would say there are seven levels total."
Hibari looked up from finishing some onigiri. "Omnivore, explain this facility with gaining additional Personas."
"Ah… I have no idea why," he said. "Just that some of them offer to join me, and I can use them the same way I can my original one. I can also use the interface to fuse two of them together to gain new ones, but not if the resulting Persona is too many levels above my own. I did overhear one of the Phantom Thieves call their leader Joker, so maybe it's like a joker in a deck of playing cards, where they can stand for any other card in some games?"
Hibari's nostrils flared. Could be annoyance, could be envy, could be anything. "We will need to see if these flames can be used outside."
Yokubō no Michi was indeed seven levels total. The stairway down from the safe area at the end was blocked off. That made Hibari nod and say, "We would need more to go deeper."
"Sadly, there aren't any others I can think of," Kusakabe said.
Tsuna had only been able to think of Hibari, so he was no help there.
Hibari poked through the interface again, then said, "Omnivore, there is an action here which will allow us to essentially teleport to any safe area. We do not need to always go through every level."
He tilted his head to the side in thought. That was not so different from certain games he played, where you could just teleport or fast travel to specific locations. "Not unheard of," was what he said. "And convenient."
"We will hereon out always start on Yokubō no Michi," Hibari replied.
"And work our way up when we're ready to leave?" Kusakabe said, one brow arched.
Hibari stared at him.
"To get the chests," Kusakabe elucidated. "There is plenty of money available, but spending without earning is counterproductive."
'What he's not saying is that I don't have access normally to the kind of funds Hibari does,' he thought, 'and he's attempting to make sure I can still purchase things without feeling like I'm gonna get the stuffing smacked out of me?'
"Also, armor from chests that might be of better quality than what we currently have," Kusakabe added.
Hibari nodded. Apparently that reasoning was found to be acceptable.
Honestly, Tsuna was still shocked that Hibari talked as much as he did, but he did realize that most of that talking was done inside Mementos, where no outsiders could witness it. And even then, he tended to eye up Tsuna to get him to do the talking if it was feasible.
Things went sideways when they exited for the day. They were not far out from the shrine when an adult walked up behind them (Tsuna could hear someone back there, though the footsteps had been quiet), grabbed Tsuna around the neck, and started to drag him away.
He shrieked in alarm, having never had to deal with being in that position before, and the adult (man?) was far stronger than him.
Hibari and Kusakabe spun in place, then surged forward to come to his aid.
"Now, boys," the man said in a condescending tone, "you don't need to worry yourselves over this little fish. I'll get good money for this."
He felt like shrieking again, but instead, as the man had paused in his efforts to drag Tsuna off to talk, he kicked back with one foot, hoping he could get the man's knee. He succeeded in at least causing the man to let go. Tsuna lurched forward, breathing heavily, then yanked his Heavy Grips out of inventory, put them on, then joined his … comrades … in biting the kidnapper to death. Assassin?
Either the man wasn't very good at fighting, or he was just too surprised to have three young boys strenuously object to his actions, because he was shortly knocked unconscious.
Tsuna panted from the exertion, the fear, the weird high he got from the success. "Kami-sama… What the…? Why? Why me?"
"Kusakabe," Hibari said. "Escort the omnivore home, then return. We shall deliver this herbivore to the police."
Kusakabe nodded and herded Tsuna away. The second he was safely inside his home the other boy took off again. Tsuna was still feeling wired from the encounter, but removed his weapons and stashed them in inventory, washed up and ate dinner, not mentioning it to his mother, then retreated upstairs.
"I might have to take up swearing at this rate," he muttered, then set to doing his homework.
Ω
He was highly annoyed that he suffered a nightmare due to recent events, which meant he woke up feeling grumpy and out of sorts. Breakfast was quiet. On his part, anyway. His mother burbled away about various things, but he could not bring himself to pay attention. Then again, she never really said anything he found to be of interest aside from mentions of his father, and he tried not to listen to any of that, because he hated the man.
Tsuna was at something of a loss for what to do once breakfast was done, but he noticed Kusakabe lingering outside, so he called out a good-bye to his mother and exited the house.
Kusakabe gave him a nod. "Come," he said, then headed off.
Well, clearly, he would not be learning the fine art of picking locks anywhere near his residence. Tsuna followed and was led to a large mansion, set on a fair-sized plot of land which seemed rather peculiar for the city they lived in. It was like the place had been there for centuries and the city had grown around it, or out from it. Something.
Kusakabe unerringly led him inside, paused to remove his shoes, then headed off again. Tsuna quickly shed his own and followed again, ending up in what looked like a workshop. Which, decidedly odd, but okay. Not his house.
Hibari was seated by the window, reading.
Tsuna thought back to the entrance and realized there had been a name-plate on the wall next to the front gate. It probably read: Hibari.
Kusakabe knelt on a cushion at a low table which dominated the room and looked at him expectantly, so Tsuna knelt on one as well. The table itself held a number of locks that opened with keys, as well as—was that a demonstration model?
What followed was a lesson on how locks functioned, and what a lockpick actually did. The model, which was cross-sectional, allowed him to see how Kusakabe manipulated the pin tumblers inside with that slender piece of metal.
Then it was his turn.
He was thoroughly frustrated with his attempts when Hibari spoke up. "Omnivore."
Tsuna immediately stopped what he was doing and looked at his senpai.
"The herbivore was delivered to the police and a report made from our testimony." Then he looked at Kusakabe, who took up the narrative.
"As directed by Hibari-san, I did some checking." There was a pause. "It appears the man in question was here to kidnap rather than kill you."
The lockpick fell out of his hand and bounced on the table.
"Money was obviously one reason, a ransom. Why you, though? I looked into your family at that point. Your father, one Sawada Iemitsu, is currently based in Italy, as you supposed. I found references to Vongola, which I am still looking into. Also, something that is a clear acronym, CEDEF, with no explanation as yet as to what it means. I will continue investigating."
"So it wasn't just a random kidnapping because I look … fluffy and helpless?" he said, frowning at how pathetic that sounded.
"I speculate that your father is involved in something which would leave him open to extortion, blackmail, or other means by which to gain some level of control over him."
His frown deepened. "The postcards he sends are from all over the world, but at least half of them are from tourist attractions in Italy. I figured he spent most of his time in that country. Well…"
Kusakabe's brow went up.
Tsuna bit his lip, then said, "There was… I was five, maybe? He showed up and he had a man with him. They arrived in a shiny black car, real fancy. Had a driver and everything. The man was a fair bit older and he spoke Japanese with an accent. He definitely didn't look Japanese. I…" He squinted at nothing, trying to remember. "I remember, I fell out of a tree when I got startled. Those orange flames appeared on my hands. I got knocked out, and when I woke up, they were leaning over me, staring. My father looked annoyed. The old man, he…" Was that right?
"He poked me in the forehead, but his finger, it was burning with orange flames. I think, it was after that, that everything just went wrong for me. But my father has always claimed to work in construction, so why would he arrive in a fancy car like that? Why would those flames…?" He grimaced and briefly clutched his head in confusion and frustration.
Kusakabe sent a long look at Hibari, then said, "These flames are connected to something. You had them, but they were … deactivated, or sealed away, somehow. Your time in Tokyo, the acquisition of a Persona, reactivated them."
"I noticed after I returned from the trip that I wasn't clumsy anymore, and I could think better. School started to make sense."
Kusakabe nodded, looked conflicted for a second, then said, "The voice taunted me with my helplessness, that my lack of will and resolve would see me dead in the face of that creature."
Tsuna straightened up. "You, too!? That's mostly what mine said. It almost gloated about my upcoming death."
"Omnivore, attempt to make flames," Hibari said. Ordered, really.
"Uh…" Right. Make flames. Somehow. The voice had talked about will and resolve, so… He rested his hand on the table, palm up, and tried to will a flame into existence. He kept in mind that his five year old self had been in danger of dying, and so had his ten year old self. (He was technically in danger of dying every day he went inside Mementos.) He recalled the look of the flames around his hands when he used [Sky Punch]. He—
Flames erupted in his hand, burning nothing, and casting a flickering orange glow on the table and glinting off the lockpick he had dropped. They felt so warm, so comforting, so … him. He was mesmerized by them, fascinated. It was different than seeing them in Mementos.
Hibari slipped off his perch and knelt on a cushion at the table, seemingly fascinated himself, then held out his hand. Purple flames erupted moments later, possibly more easily done simply because Tsuna himself had done it, had shown it was possible.
Red flames burst into existence a few moments later, from Kusakabe.
Tsuna lifted his hand and brought it closer to his face. There was no actual heat, though he still felt warmer, more real somehow. He passed his other hand through them and lit more flames on that one. He unexpectedly giggled, a delighted smile breaking free. He brought his hands too close, still mesmerized by them—and his forehead caught on fire.
That startled him enough that all his flames snuffed out.
Hibari and Kusakabe were both starting at him blankly. "Again," Hibari said.
He nodded and lit flames on his hands again, then set his forehead aflame. Now that he expected it could happen, he was able to realize that he felt calm—
"Your eyes have changed colour to orange," Kusakabe observed.
"Describe what you feel," Hibari said.
He blinked slowly, very aware of the flames on his brow. "Calm, confident, like I could do almost anything."
"Desist."
Tsuna snuffed his flames, as did the other two boys. He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.
"Describe what you feel," Hibari repeated.
He pondered that so he could give a decent answer, then said, "Back to my slightly anxious, panicky, worried self."
Hibari grunted softly, glanced at Kusakabe, then returned to his window seat. "Continue the lesson."
Tsuna picked up the lockpick and started messing with the cross-sectional model again.
Ω
After lunch, which Hibari provided, they returned to Mementos, where the usual fighting helped him to keep his mind off the attempted kidnapping and what mystery surrounded his father, and that old man whose name he could not remember.
They teleported to the safe area at the end of Yokubō no Michi and worked upward, then back down, then… All the grimy armor went into Tsuna's inventory, as well as vendor trash to sell on their way out. That made him wonder if Hibari wasn't actually any good when it came to finances (not that he was saying he himself was), simply due to having so much money to splash around (presumably from his parents, people that had not been present in the house that he had noticed).
Kusakabe seemed to be almost like a right-hand man to Hibari, which further made him wonder why he wasn't the one dealing with it, but he couldn't see a point in voicing a question over it.
He had learned that there was a cap to how many Personas he could actively carry, and it was twelve. He would have to spend some time using Fusion to come up with the best Personas he could, to cover as much in the way of attacks possible, without having too many glaring weaknesses.
Some of the fusions had revealed skills like Boost (which would strengthen the named attack type by 25%, or increase the chance of a named status affect hitting), Trigger Happy (something Matador gained at level twenty-two, and which increased the critical rate for attacks with his gun), Null (which granted immunity to the attack type), Repel (which he had in Kaguya, gained at level twenty-two, for Physical).
Those could be fused into other Personas, though if he fused something into one he already had registered, he would have to re-register it to keep it available should he swap it out of his twelve slots.
He knew Drain had to be in there somewhere, because Pyro Jack drained Fire, even if that was inherent rather than a skill.
Kusi Mitama and Rakshasa both had Regenerate 1, a skill the same as gained from the Regen Patch 1 accessory. Neko Shōgun had Invigorate 1, which mimicked his SP Adhesive 1. He just needed to keep using Fusion to refresh his arsenal. At some point he expected at least a second version of those, possibly a third. He figured three if only because in some of the games he played, there was Agi, Agi 2, and Agi 3, stuff like that.
Hibari seemed able to go on forever, but once he noticed that Tsuna, and a bit later Kusakabe were flagging, he opted to start the upward journey toward the exit, which was considerate of him.
Tsuna had gained another two levels, putting him at twenty-eight. Hopefully when he hit level thirty, the shops would update. On the way up he decided to experiment with [Sky Flames] and imagined that he was shooting out a blast of orange flame, like a laser beam. After he got the image in his head straight, ignoring the two other boys staring at him as if wondering why he wasn't attacking, he tried to do what he had in mind.
It worked, and he received a notification that a new attack had been created as an aspect of [Sky Flames], called [Sky Laser].
"Huh… Cool."
That it had basically vaporized the target was just a bonus. He leaned down to scoop up the drops and answered the question he just knew was burning in their minds. "I visualized what I wanted to do, got it firm in my head, then tried it. I can now use [Sky Laser] as an attack."
Hibari looked satisfied—dare he think it, pleased—and continued on.
Tsuna then decided to use [Intuition] to guess the contents of the various chests they encountered, before they were opened. He was delighted when he was more often right than wrong, which caused another set of looks, so he explained that one, too. "Just trying to see how versatile this is. I already use [Intuition] to help me dodge. Or, you know, avoid bullies. I wonder why it didn't trigger when that man…"
He frowned, suddenly feeling scared and rather small.
"Omnivore."
Tsuna looked up to see an odd expression on Hibari's face.
"As with any small animal, skills must be practiced."
He blinked a few times because his eyes had started to sting, and swallowed past the lump in his throat. That sounded like Hibari's attempt at comfort. And reason. "Right," he said softly. "I think you're right. And I'll keep working on it."
Hibari went so far as to step closer and pet his head—or rather, his fluffy hair—and the both of them were deeply startled when something snapped into place. Hibari's eyes flared purple and an indescribable expression flitted over his face, gone in a flash.
The notification of [Tsunayoshi and Kyōya have achieved Harmonization] followed by [Kyōya is now the Cloud Guardian of Tsunayoshi] followed by [Tsunayoshi has achieved Level 29] was at least mildly baffling. That could happen between people? Did that mean Kyōya had … joined him? Also, that he gained experience for … harmonizing with a person?
"What…?" he said inanely. "I don't know what that means! There's too much I don't know!" He would consider crying in frustration except he felt so warm and cozy and … protected? Connected?
Hibari pet his hair again (because it's not like things could get any more weird), then stepped back, his expression back to its usual neutral. "Let us continue."
Kusakabe shot him a look that made him think the older boy was wondering if he was secretly an alien before following Hibari. Tsuna scrambled after them, resolving to worry about it later. Though things to worry about later seemed to be increasing in number.
They made it back to the entrance without any further oddities, and Tsuna booked it for one of the screens so he could sell off the vendor trash. He had another load of dirty armor to wash, but that was normal enough.
While he was doing that he couldn't help but notice the conversation going on between Hibari and Kusakabe. They spoke too low for him to hear what they were saying, but their expressions—even viewed sideways—said interesting things. Hibari even grimaced at one point before murmuring something.
They had scored several sets of new armor, which, bonus. Some Elysian Robes (female, 104 DEF, 11 EVA, +Reduce Curse DMG), which went into inventory (just in case), some Papal Robes (unisex, 100 DEF, 7 EVA, +Evade Bless), and a Plate Vest (male, 114 DEF, 9 EVA, +Reduce Nuke DMG).
That required some shuffling of armor, wherein Tsuna got the Plate Armor, Hibari got the Papal Robes, and Kusakabe got the Athletic Shirt previously worn by Hibari.
The Talwar and Imitation Katana they found were chucked into inventory, just in case. Tsuna was building up quite the collection of weaponry he couldn't use, but maybe somewhere along the way someone could. They just had to find trustworthy people to bring in.
Both Hibari and Kusakabe escorted him home and waited until he was inside to leave. Hibari had stared at the house with narrowed eyes before departing.
'Someone tried to kidnap me,' he thought as he washed up, 'and this house doesn't even have an alarm system. Gah.'
Dinner was a nagaimo salad, hokkaidon, and miso soup. He tucked in happily and felt warm and full once he was done, above and beyond the enduring warmth he felt from his … connection? … to Hibari. When he was free to go he headed upstairs to get the washing out of the way, then brought the armor to his room to dry.
Two hours were spent on school things, both current work and his backlog of understanding, then he checked the interface and frowned.
'Why doesn't it say anything about this harmonization thing?' he wondered. 'This is rude!' He did notice he was creeping up on Hibari's level, the gap down to four levels instead of five, which, good? He didn't care that Hibari was more experienced; he had earned that. It was just nice to see he was inching closer.
That having been a bust, he got on his laptop so he could investigate home security systems.
Ω
Two days later he was beset by bullies again as he attempted to find a quiet place to eat his lunch. The classroom was boring and made him think too much about school itself, so why dampen his appetite by eating in there? They sneered and called him Dame-Tsuna and acted like he would still crumple in on himself, shriek, and attempt to flee.
Did they not learn? Things had changed! Clearly.
He had just punched one in the face and knocked him flat when Hibari and Kusakabe cruised in, knocked the other two flat, and gave him a look.
"Omnivore. We will eat on the roof." Hibari then stalked off, jacket flapping off his shoulders as usual.
'Oh, well, right.' He scrambled off after the two of them and found that it was a particular stairway that led to Hibari's hideaway of sorts. That section of the roof was raised above most of it, and had a low wall surrounding it, unlike the lower portion, which was enclosed with chain link fencing.
Tsuna plopped down and fetched his bento out of inventory—so convenient, and it meant no one could steal it from him!—and set to eating. Maybe he should be trying to use [Intuition] any time he was outside of his house or Mementos? He should have been able to avoid being caught earlier, though there was a certain satisfaction to be had in laying a bully out while looking like a harmless little fluffy kitten.
Hibari shot him a knowing look, almost as if he knew what he was thinking, then went back to his meal.
A sly squint in that direction revealed that his senpai liked hamburger steak. Maybe he should see if he could convince his mother to teach him how to cook? Hibari was being (for him) ridiculously kind to him, so giving him a gift he would appreciate… Not to say that Kusakabe wasn't being kind, too, he was just more of a blend-into-the-background-until-needed sort.
The remainder of school went smoothly enough, and then it was time to … supervise … the students as they departed the grounds. The shrine was next, and they entered Mementos as they did every day.
Except, Kusakabe eyed him for a moment and said, "May I?"
May he what? Tsuna eyed him right back in confusion. Or at least, he did until Kusakabe raised a hand. Oh. He … wanted to pet his hair? And… That? "Uh… Sure."
Kusakabe stepped closer and … pet his hair. Tsuna almost wasn't surprised when the same thing happened. Kusakabe's eyes flared red as a connection snapped into place.
[Tsunayoshi and Tetsuya have achieved Harmonization] was followed by [Tetsuya is now the Storm Guardian of Tsunayoshi] and [Tsunayoshi has achieved Level 30].
Tsuna felt that same sense of warmth and coziness and … protection? Now if only those notifications alerted him to new items in the shops. "Huh," he said. "This is such an interesting feeling. Um, yeah, I have a hunch I need to check the shop screen."
He flashed a smile at Kusakabe and ducked away to do that, then hissed, "Yes!" and did a fist pump when SP Adhesive 2 showed up in the list. True, they cost ¥80,000 each, but… He alerted his companions to the update, grinned in delight when Hibari gave a nod of approval, and promptly purchased three of them, swapping out with his SP Adhesive 1, and giving one to each of the two boys.
His old one got tossed into inventory for the moment, as well as the two others, and then they were off to do some training, teleporting down to Yokubō no Michi.
When they were done for the day, on the way out (Hibari, darn him, had leveled up again, preserving the four level difference), Tsuna sold off the vendor trash, and then was escorted home, though he did use [Intuition] during the entire walk. He could only hope that constant use of it would make it stronger, possibly work better passively while outside Mementos. It seemed to work automatically in battle, but he wanted more from it, if he could get it.
During dinner that night he said, "Kaa-san… Do you think maybe you could teach me about cooking?"
His mother blinked owlishly at him, then smiled. "Oh, how sweet! Of course, Tsu-kun. How about… Dinner will be slightly later each night, I suppose, but you could watch, help as you start learning…?"
He beamed a smile at her and nodded. It would be more work, and maybe he wouldn't be any good at it, but he could try. It would make for a far more personal gift if he could make something he knew Hibari would like. Kusakabe, too, if he could figure out what he was fond of eating.
Ω
When Sunday rolled around, Kusakabe was there to escort him again, though he used [Intuition] during the walk. Hopefully it would come to a point where it was just reflex to use, in the event that it simply couldn't function as a passive skill.
On the walk over Kusakabe casually tossed out, "You may call me Tetsuya."
Tsuna swallowed at the offer and almost as casually said, "You can you call me Tsuna."
However, when they reached the Hibari mansion, and he was led into the workshop room after removing his shoes, Tsuna was surprised to see a tiny child there. He? He couldn't be more than two years old, but he was dressed in an adult fashion, and looked startlingly like Hibari. He also had a red—was that a pacifier?—hung from his neck, oddly enough.
"Eh?" he said, his head tilting to the side.
"Nǐ hǎo," the chibi Hibari said as he executed a little bow. "I am Fon."
"Oh. Hello," he said, remembering his manners, and bowed back. "I am Tsuna." Why did a chibi have an adult voice?
Tetsuya knelt on a cushion, so Tsuna took that as a cue, though he noticed that Hibari looked just a bit put out by something.
Fon reached out to pour tea and offered each of them a cup, then knelt on his cushion. He had to use one on top of a box stool just to be at the right height for the table. "My presence has been … requested … to explain what I can," he said delicately. "It regards the use of Flames."
Tsuna could actually hear the initial cap on that one. He took a sip of his tea so he didn't start blurting out questions.
Hibari made a soft noise that Tsuna interpreted as, "Get on with it."
Fon hid a smile behind his sleeve, then said, "They are most commonly called Flames of Dying Will."
Tsuna's eyes went wide and he had another sip of tea so his mouth was occupied.
"Will you show me?" Fon asked softly.
Tsuna swallowed, set down his cup, then looked at Hibari. When he gave a slight nod, Tsuna lit flames on both hands, then swept one over his face to light up his forehead.
It was Fon's eyes that went wide that time. "Interesting. You may stop."
He snuffed his flames and clutched his tea cup again.
Fon nodded, once, twice, then said, "Dying Will Flames of the Sky. They most commonly activate when an individual is in danger of dying, though most people do not have the resolve and will to cause that to happen. Those who do, when noticed, are folded into an existing…"
Hibari made another one of those noises.
Fon hid another smile. "In Italy there is the mafia, in China there are the Triads. There are yakuza here in Japan, but they seem to mostly stand apart from this. To put it simply, organized crime families."
Tsuna sucked down the rest of his tea and poured another cup, not caring that he burned his tongue. His father was part of the mafia!? And that old man?
"Those who say no, or refuse be involved in at least a freelance role, are eliminated."
He closed his eyes with a sigh, then opened them again. He very carefully set down his cup because his hands were trembling, then said, "And my—the person who fathered me, is one of them. But he didn't want me involved." He could feel his intuition pressing against him. That had to be what that visit ended up being about. His eyes dropped to stare at his tea cup.
"The old man, the foreigner, he must be… I thought I was going to die, my flames ignited, and they sealed them away. I don't know if Hibari-san mentioned, but there's already been one kidnapper who tried to take me. Said he'd get good money for me. So with my luck? I'm going to be involved no matter what. He didn't prevent anything, he just guaranteed I would despise his very existence. I need to prepare. I need to keep training."
His breathing had gone all funny and his eyes were stinging again, but he refused to let the tears fall. Not out of some silly notion that it would be embarrassing, but because he felt like it would be giving too much to a man he hated. "Shit," he whispered.
Fon seemed at a loss as to what to say, so after a few sips of tea he just plowed ahead with his explanation. "You father is part of the mafia, yes. He is part of Vongola, which is the largest famiglia on the … good … side, and head of the Alliance. Your father specifically leads CEDEF, or Consulenza Esterna Della Famiglia, External Advisors to the Family. It is an intelligence organization, and they hold very little power during times of peace. During conflicts, however, Sawada-san becomes second in command of Vongola, under Timoteo di Vongola, the ninth don.
"The ninth has four sons, though one of them caused an internal conflict and was… I am not sure. He could be dead, or he could be imprisoned. We get plenty of news in China, but…" Fon shrugged. "The ninth's sons all have Sky Flames, so any could inherit and become the tenth don."
"Or me," he said quietly.
"Or you. So long as they live it should not be an issue."
Which meant they'd all die, of course, because things just weren't that easy or simple.
"As for flame users, there are seven types of flames. Those are Sky, Storm, Sun, Lightning, Rain, Mist, and Cloud. A Sky usually gains six guardians, one of each type."
He darted a look at both Tetsuya and Hibari, then slid his gaze back to Fon.
"In the normal way of things, the Sky is the leader."
Tsuna couldn't help it, he snorted. It might have been disbelief, or amusement.
Fon hid yet another smile behind his sleeve, his eyes briefly slanting toward Hibari. "The Sky's guardians are closest, due to the harmonization bond, and handle any number of tasks, the most important of which is guarding their Sky. I do not say that necessarily in the sense of always being right there at the Sky's side. There are many ways to protect someone.
"In any given famiglia, if there is a Sky present, they are usually the leader. Not every famiglia has one. Leadership is generally passed down through blood. As for the flames specifically, most users create their own techniques, though there are commonalities. All Storms can disintegrate things. All Clouds can propagate things."
Tsuna dug into his memory for that one. Propagate? Multiply, increase, spread… His eyes widened. So that's what had been going on when Hibari started using his Cloud Flames. A look at the other boy showed that Hibari had also figured it out, probably way faster than he had.
"Suns can heal, and also increase the efficiency of … biological systems. A Lightning can manipulate electricity to some extent, and increase the hardness of things, such as shields, whether those be material or formed from their flames. Rains can tranquilize and manipulate ice. A Mist deals with construction, or, illusions, but also mental manipulation, and for some individuals, thought reading."
Tsuna thought that over, then noticed something when he backtracked the explanation. "Is there more than just Flames of the Sky?"
Fon smiled, and didn't bother to hide it that time. "Yes. There are also Dying Will Flames of the Earth." He went on to give a brief rundown of that set of seven. "There is one other I am aware of, used by the Vindice, the … police, if you will, of the mafia. I must assume they have a name for it, but I am unaware of what it would be."
"So, in theory, so long as we keep this under wraps, no one is going to try to drag us off to go join a fa‧mi‧glia." He had to say that last word carefully. It wasn't like he spoke Italian. Yet. He would have to work on that, clearly.
"That is correct. And I am certainly not going to say anything. I would not have been called in otherwise."
As much as he really wanted to know how Fon and Hibari were connected—related?—he choked back the urge to inquire. "Which means any practice we do needs to be kept hidden, right. You wear red. Are you a Storm, or…?"
Fon smiled at him again. "I am a Storm, yes."
"Um…" He cast around in his mind for more questions, and finally settled on, "Are there other things about flames we should be aware of?"
"All flames can be used offensively or defensively, it is simply a matter of the manner of usage. I would be careful about who you inform, preferably only those who demonstrably have them, those you feel strongly you can trust, or have harmonized with you. Do not show them to outsiders if it can be avoided. Most of it is otherwise a matter of experimentation. And it is always a good idea to have some backup in the form of a weapon or martial arts."
He nodded. "I sparred with Hibari-san. I … lost, of course, but I don't think I embarrassed myself."
Fon smiled behind his sleeve again. "That is good to hear." He fished into the sleeve of his … tunic-shirt thing Tsuna didn't know the name of and removed a slip of paper, which he slid across the table to him. "In case you have questions. I may not always be immediately available, but you can also send texts."
"Oh. I—thank you," he said, sliding it the rest of the way so he could look at it before tucking it into his pocket. "That's very kind of you."
Fon gave him another smile, one that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, then hopped off his cushion. He bowed to them, then left so quickly it was like he teleported.
"Huh…" Fon just had to be related to Hibari, but how? There was no way he was an actual child, not with that voice, the way he moved, and how well spoken he was, that weird pacifier thing notwithstanding. He just didn't think he could ask. Hibari was already agitated with … the man … being there, or having to have called him in to begin with.
"So, like it was already," he said. "Here, basically. Well, unless that translates over the same, in which case it wouldn't matter."
The two older boys seemed able to follow his disjointed ramblings, because they both nodded.
"He called me a fish."
Hibari stared. Tetsuya tilted his head.
"The kidnapper. My—I really need to come up with a term—my mother's husband liked to call me his little tuna-fish," he said with a scowl. "One time, while eating fatty tuna, because I didn't already have enough to be anxious about. I have to wonder about the odds of the kidnapper randomly calling me a fish."
"And if it wasn't random," Tetsuya said, "then he likely overheard Sawada-san."
He nodded, his scowl deepening. "I've been using [Intuition] whenever I'm not at home or in Mementos. I'm trying to make it reflex. Aside from that kidnapper, I should have been able to avoid that last bunch of bullies. They didn't matter because they were weak, but the next one might be smuggling a lead pipe in his trouser leg or something. Also, I started looking at home security systems. No idea how useful those would be against assassins."
He giggled nervously. "And it'll be worse next year. Maybe. You two will be in middle school. So yeah, I need [Intuition] use to be reflex." He would apologize, for the theoretical burden he was placing on them, but none of this was his fault. Yes, he had pursued the Phantom Thieves with a specific goal, he had accidentally unlocked his flames, and then dragged Hibari into things.
But Hibari always had the option to say no, to see what he had to offer by way of Mementos and walk away. Tetsuya had the option to not attempt harmonization. And Tsuna? He was not the one to say something indiscreet and clue in a kidnapper to an opportunity. Tsuna didn't invite that man to come to Namimori and see him as prey.
Hibari's eyes went distant for a few minutes, then cleared. "Starting this Saturday, we will not enter Mementos that day. Instead, we will spar and explore flames on the outside. Sunday mornings will remain a time for certain things, such as the lessons. All other afternoons will be spent in Mementos, continuing to become stronger."
He and Tetsuya nodded.
Hibari went on to say, "I am … considering … a change once we enter middle school." He went silent again, his gaze calculating and clearly not seeing the room, but his gaze sharpened again after a minute. "There are delinquents in town. They could be of use. Either bitten to death and converted, or addressed inside Mementos for the same purpose."
"…Like a disciplinary committee?" Tetsuya asked, his brow crinkled.
Hibari nodded. "Someone needs to keep order, and the police are useless for certain things. With us being inside Mementos every day, there is no one to patrol Namimori during the afternoons. We will comprise the core, but others can be brought in strictly to keep order on the outside. Should we gain more core members, we could potentially take turns on patrol while the rest are training inside."
They both nodded again. Tsuna thought that sounded pretty good. More former delinquents leashed to Hibari's oversight and orders, keeping their home safer, meant fewer chances for innocent people—students, mostly—to be tormented. Also, it reminded him of what Fon said, that there are other ways to protect someone. Hibari was outlining a way for Tsuna to be better protected, in several ways, in the event that Hibari and Tetsuya could not be right there to back him up.
Tsuna was finishing his cup of tea when Hibari said, "Continue the lesson."
Tetsuya slid the tea service to one side of the table and fetched out what they would need.
Ω
[Kyōya has achieved level 40] flashed by as a notification.
"Omnivore, I have unlocked [Mist Flames]."
He perked up. While he was annoyed that Hibari had maintained that four level lead on him (he was right on the verge of hitting thirty-six himself), he was thrilled that the indigo threads had finally woken to usefulness. "I look forward to seeing what you can do with them."
Tetsuya had already proven he could use his Storm Flames to disintegrate creatures, though how well that worked depended on some factor none of them had yet worked out. He had also—borrowing from Asian mythology—produced Storm Onibi, which would drain the health out of a creature during its disintegration and transfer it to his senpai.
Whatever worked and kept them alive, right? Certain attacks couldn't be used outside, not against normal humans. But against actual enemies looking to kill? Well, Tsuna was willing to bend his morals. He might throw up for a week afterward, but he and his senpai would be alive.
Tsuna had been using [Intuition] so constantly that it was starting to become reflex, which, excellent. Leveling inside Mementos was sort of slow, but they couldn't go deeper without more people, and literally no one stood out.
Tetsuya had been working on their version of the Phantom Aficionado Website, but as he was having to learn how along the way, it was a little slow going.
Still, their funds were steadily increasing, and they were all in excellent shape. Tsuna also did so much better in a spar against Hibari the previous day. He also did well against Tetsuya, though he lost both times. They had seemed pleased with his efforts, and that's what mattered. Tsuna was getting better at defending himself, so he was equally pleased.
He couldn't quite decide if he was pleased or annoyed that their skills were static. They did not improve, but rather, their Personas could gain stronger versions of a given skill (like he remembered of materia in that Final Fantasy game). The only exception were Flame skills, which could work on variable power, and could spawn new ones based on their actions.
On the flip side, ranked skills meant grinding those along with levels, which would have meant twice the boredom. It was probably for the best how things were for them regarding Personas and Mementos.
Hibari stalked off after another shadow, so Tsuna refocused on fighting. The first time his senpai used [Mist Flames], the creature he used it on immediately turned to attack one of the other creatures in the group, so it functioned sort of like [Pulinpa]. Tsuna wondered if Hibari could use it to create what seemed like an extra ally, just to confuse the enemies to attack that, rather than one of them.
When he voiced the idea, Hibari nodded.
On further thought, it was also the kind of use that might work well on the outside. Distract an enemy with an allegedly new foe coming up from behind, to cause their targets to become distracted over who to attack first or defend against.
Hibari nodded again, so either Tsuna had said that out loud, or Hibari was already getting a handle on the "some individuals" can do the "thought reading" thing.
Eventually, though, he started flagging, so Hibari wrapped things up by starting the trip upward (they had to open all those chests!) toward the entrance. After the usual sale of vendor trash he was escorted home, watched and helped his mother to make dinner, and then retreated to do the usual laundry before addressing his school work.
He was almost caught up on what he should have known, so hopefully he would have far less to do in the evenings. Or rather, different things, such as his beloved video games, manga, or trying to fashion his own lockpicks. Apparently that was a thing, making them, rather than presumably finding some shady-shifty-dodgy person who sold them by the gross.
'Though,' he thought, 'if you needed them by the gross, it only means you really suck at picking locks to break so many. Like me, presently.'
Ω
It was Tuesday when the next weird thing happened. They were supervising the students leaving school grounds when Tsuna's attention snapped over to the side, where three boys were standing. One was blond, while the other two had black hair. The blond even looked natural, rather than dyed.
Hibari focused on him briefly, his brow raised, then returned to supervising.
"I'm not sure," he said softly. "My … sense … is interested in them. They're not local, that much is obvious, but … they aren't here to cause trouble. I think…" He squinted, trying to "lean" on his intuition. "I think they ran from something truly awful. I think they're looking for a safe place."
It was admittedly a bit odd that they just so happened to pop up in Tsuna's vicinity, such that he would notice them. "I also think they're… Uh, I think they could be like us." He had spent so much time deliberately invoking [Intuition] and any given time, and he had learned to trust that sense, so he wasn't going to ignore it now.
The second the students were gone, Hibari stalked over to the trio, Tetsuya and Tsuna following. Hibari led them in battle and tactics, but Tsuna was the talker, so he was the one to say, "There is a place we can talk." He figured the shrine was a safe enough place, simply because they were normally the only ones to go there, so no one should bother them or overhear anything they shouldn't.
The boy with blue-black hair with a zig-zag part eyed him intently, then nodded.
It made Tsuna wonder if the boy—with that hair colour?—was… He cut off that thought. If he could, it was best to keep his mind as blank as possible, right?
Hibari stalked off as was his wont, and everyone followed along. Various people along the way either respectfully stood aside, scattered in fear, or warily edged back. Tsuna found it amusing, though to be fair, it was mostly delinquents and bullies who reacted poorly to seeing Hibari prowling anywhere in town.
Once they climbed the steps to the shrine Hibari went straight for the tōrō. The second everyone was gathered there Hibari opened the entrance, and they were all sucked into Mementos. Clearly, Hibari trusted his judgment when it came to people.
Predictably, the three newcomers had a bit of a freak-out over the change. And, well, the costumes that Tsuna, Hibari, and Tetsuya were wearing.
"Omnivore. Talk," Hibari said before yanking some onigiri out of inventory to snack on. Supervising student dispersal was hungry work.
"…Right. Okay. I… You can call me Tsuna," he said to the three newcomers.
Blue-Black turned out to be Mukuro, Other-Black was Chikusa, and Blond was Ken.
"What is this place?" Mukuro asked, gaze flicking around restlessly as he took in what looked like a haiden interior (would he even know what that was?).
It was only then that Tsuna realized these three foreigners could speak Japanese just fine. "Mementos. It is rather like a representation of the collective unconscious of the people of Namimori. And possibly visitors. Not sure on that part. We come here to train."
"Train." Mukuro was clearly the leader for the trio. Also, question disguised as a statement. And either Mukuro could do the thought-reading thing, or Tsuna had a lousy poker fake, because the boy smirked at him.
"I had a reason for finding a place like this, though it'll be some time before I can ever do it. In the meantime, we train here to get stronger. It has the useful side effect of allowing me to put down the bullies who try to torment me, and, well, deal with people like the guy who tried to kidnap me for money."
That, for some reason, made all three of them pale.
"There are shadows down here, shadows that turn into creatures. They seem to be linked to the major arcana of the tarot. No idea why. But I think they represent, in some way, the negative thoughts and feelings of the people. Either way, they aren't … real? So I don't have a problem beating the stuffing out of them. Besides, it's a great way to make money."
"And the … costumes?"
"Ah…" How to explain that one? He pursed his lips, knowing he would get no help from his senpai on this. He was becoming quite fond of the two, really, even if Hibari could be quite exasperating at times.
Hibari snorted.
Tsuna scowled slightly. Hibari definitely had the thought-reading thing down. "The first time you encounter a shadow, well… Something happens when you're placed in danger of dying, let's say."
Chikusa and Ken adopted blank expressions, but Mukuro, his was almost condescendingly amused. Tsuna leaned on his intuition and decided that the former two had been through some serious trauma to have a reaction like that, and that Mukuro had every reason for his own. Either way, not good, not good at all.
Mukuro eyed his two companions, then settled on Chikusa, who stared back blankly for an uncomfortably long moment before nodding slightly.
"I will try," Chikusa said.
"Right."
Hibari promptly set off for the stairs, and everyone trooped down. Tsuna's group stationed themselves just off the stairs, because there was no point in going deeper. Mukuro and Ken stood nearby.
Chikusa, however, stared out into the purple-tinted space, then twitched when a shadow lurched into view. When the thing reached him, he went through the same thing Tsuna, Hibari, and Tetsuya had, gaining a mask, hearing a voice taunting him that no one else could hear, and then ripping that mask off. Blood went everywhere, but when he straightened up, he was wearing a new mask of flaming blue.
He also promptly kicked the shit out of both the Pyro Jack and Pixie that menaced him. Lucky for him they were both weak to [Bufu]. And, of course, he gained a costume which, if Tsuna was being honest, made him look pretty bad-ass.
Chikusa retreated back to the stairs and held Mukuro's gaze for some time, then shifted to face the room. Mukuro tilted his head at Ken, who took his turn.
Ken faced a Mandrake and a Slime which, given that his element seemed to be Fire, worked out exceptionally well once he got to the part where he ended their days. His mask was comprised of yellow flames. Tsuna assumed the boy would be able to heal people based on that.
There was no non-verbal conversation between Mukuro and Ken. Mukuro simply advanced into the room and awaited his battle. That one… Why was he facing three on his own?
Mukuro went through his transformation and ended up with a mask of indigo flames. He also caught on to the interface almost immediately—or had been "told" of it by Chikusa—because he nailed the Pixie with [Eiha], then wailed on the other two with a trident that popped out of nowhere. Once he was done he walked back over to the stairs looking pleased with himself.
"Right," Tsuna said, clapping his hands together. "We should see about updated gear for you three. Let's head back up briefly." Then he turned and bounded up to the entrance so he could poke around in the shops. Three SP Adhesive 2s were a given.
Three more blank tabs had filled in, so he was able to purchase the best possible weapons for each of them (why Chikusa's weapon was yo-yos was beyond him, but whatever worked, right?), and then handed them out.
Mukuro inspected his Mirage Trident with a pleased air, Ken swung the Bardiche around in a way that said he had never held one before in his life, and Chikusa fiddled with his Lethe Yo-Yos.
He then, while he was at it, checked for himself and his two senpai. He was delighted when he found new and better weapons for them, and promptly purchased those, as well, to distribute.
"For armor, we'll have to go hunting. I sell all the vendor trash each day, so I don't have any on hand that will work for you."
Hibari promptly teleported them all to the Yokubō no Michi with its indigo-tinted lighting, and stalked after prey, sticking to that Path rather than descending. They found out very quickly that only four of them could fight at a time. That sort of made sense? They never faced more than four enemies at a time, after all.
Hibari frowned once the battle was over and Tsuna was collecting the spoils. "We will rotate as necessary, depending on what skills are best suited."
Tsuna planned to check the interface the second he was not in the active party, then. Except, he apparently had no choice but to be in the active party, so his curiosity would remain unsatisfied for some time. He was ever-so-slightly pleased when it was Chikusa who started flagging first.
And his thoughts immediately flipped to thinking that he had no real idea what these three had been through, and they might just be exhausted in general. Once they reached the top, and Tsuna had another load of laundry to do—should he just save them up for a weekly wash?—Mukuro approached him with sly eyes and laid a hand on his shoulder.
Which, not Japanese? So probably not up on the no touchy-feely stuff, right?
The problem was—why was this Tsuna's life?—another harmonization bond snapped into place for no damn reason he could tell. Unless Mukuro had been ghosting in his brain the entire time they'd been in Mementos, and liked what he saw? Or thought he was easy to manipulate? He had no clue.
But back to the bond!
Mukuro's eyes flared indigo and clutched one hand to his chest, and the now familiar notifications of [Tsunayoshi and Mukuro have achieved Harmonization] and [Mukuro is now the Mist Guardian of Tsunayoshi] and [Tsunayoshi has achieved Level 37] flashed by.
Hibari let out a little sigh that Tsuna couldn't for the life of him interpret. But, bonus, he was now only three levels behind Hibari! He'd do a fist pump if he didn't think Hibari would then bite him to death for it.
Mukuro eventually blinked a few times and stepped back. Whatever he had been aiming to do was forgotten in the face of harmonization. Instead he cast a look at his two fellows, another expression Tsuna found himself helpless to interpret.
He found out right quick when Chikusa and Ken stepped forward and each laid a hand on his shoulders. The notifications flashed by, yet again, all [Tsunayoshi and Chikusa have achieved Harmonization] and [Chikusa is now the Rain Guardian of Tsunayoshi] and [Tsunayoshi has achieved Level 38], followed by [Tsunayoshi and Ken have achieved Harmonization] and [Ken is now the Sun Guardian of Tsunayoshi] and [Tsunayoshi has achieved Level 39].
Tsuna sat down right where he was just so his legs wouldn't buckle beneath him. "Why?" he said plaintively. "Why did this happen so easily? Surely looking like a harmless fluffy kitten does not inspire that kind of reaction!"
Hibari grunted softly, then said, "Tomorrow we can investigate the new Paths."
Tsuna latched onto the new subject with alacrity. "Yes! Three more we can fight through, and if the pattern holds, that'd mean, uh…" Right, maths, not his strong suit.
"Thirty-three," Tetsuya said, "or thirty if not counting the mid-point rest levels."
"…What the fuck just happened?" Ken asked.
Tsuna heaved a sigh. More talking. He opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again so he could rewind through that conversation with Fon. Then he leaned on his intuition to get a second opinion. Still good, and they had harmonized in less than a day, and he would like to believe his intuition would have had him skipping backward to avoid being touched if there was actually something he needed to avoid.
It was still weird being touched so casually by a near-complete stranger.
He was almost tempted to call Fon to get a third opinion, but decided that keeping it in-house, so to speak, was a better path to take, that and he didn't think his phone would work inside Mementos. That being so, he eyed Hibari instead, who gave him a slight nod. Right, okay, full steam ahead? Or maybe only half steam, to test the waters.
"Ever heard of Flames?"
They looked at him like he was mental.
Tsuna coughed. "Flames of Dying Will."
Still with those looks!
He rolled his eyes. "There are two separate things going on here," he began.