Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tsuna doesn’t remember his father. Doesn’t remember how warm he felt before, doesn’t remember the flames that would dance around him as he giggled and how his mother would look at him in curiousity before murmuring to her cat.

“Ask Helena if she has seen this before.”

Tsuna forgot how Susu could speak and how she would watch him with careful eyes as he would play outside. Forgotten the little cats made of bright fire that leaped around him and how sometimes he would climb a tree and lose his footing. The trees would never dare let one of Nana’s fall and of course Tsuna forgot how the leaves would curl around his body and drift him slowly down. He always giggled and Susu was constantly exasperated.

Nana remembers.

She remembers one day going out to visit Helena while Susu and the plants kept watch on little Tsuna. Helena had information, she knew of an illusionist who could weave the most wonderful of indigo dreams.

Nana remembers coming back happy that she finally has the knowledge that she needs and hears Susu hissing and Iemitsu swearing. She remembers how her confusion quickly turned to red hot fury when she saw how pale her son looked and how he laid silent on the ground.

“Dear, what are you doing here?” She remembers an old man with the fakest of smiles and the sharpest of eyes. “And what is wrong with Tsu-kun?”

She will always remember how Iemitsu turned and grinned at her with that one smile that used to fill her with joy, but now she can only feel the fury and hatred.

“Sweetheart! I wanted to show my boss my beautiful wife and my cute little Tuna fish.”

She remembers plastering a soft smile that somehow managed to not show her anger.

“And Tsu-kun? What happened to Tsu-kun?”

Iemitsu laughs but is the old man that responds.

“My apologies Nana-chan, we seem to have worn the poor lad out. You see we were playing tag for a tad bit long.” He smiles what he hopes in reassurance. “We must be heading off. We don’t want to miss our plane.”

Nana remembers how Iemitsu grinned and gave her a kiss before declaring that he was off to bring her the stars and to tell his little tuna fish that he has become one with the stars.

Nana remembers when they left, remembers how Susu hissed and snarled, and how the leaves turned black in her rage.

She remembers nursing Tsuna back to health and how it took him a week to woke up, even with her herbs and balms, even with Helena’s inks and runes and how when he woke he barely remembered his name. It took years for him to remember, years of Helena’s carefully drawn seals and Nana’s own special blends and even then he struggled.

Nana remembers and if the Vongola will tear away her son’s birthright then she will help him wake his potential.

Fire would’ve been his element, Nana knows without a shred of doubt. His ‘flames,’ as Helena told her, were similar to fire but held different abilities and he would’ve been a Sky. Nana hates Iemitsu, hates that he took away Tsu-kuns Sky and the fire that would have been his.

But the ash and smoke have potential, Nana is sad that even after all that his magic is still linked to what should've been his.

It was Helena who suggested they look to Witches that harnessed the winds for guidance and inspiration to navigate his magic.

“They could show him how to be creative and free with their magic.”

Nana watches as Tsuna watches a candle burning with a longing that he doesn’t know what for, his gaze fixated on the tiny flickering flame and Nana can only watch with sadness.

“They could teach him how love his magic.”

And of course Helena is right. Beautiful, fierce Helena who could have been Nana’s once if she wasn’t so terrified.

And so Nana cashed in a favor with Miura Asa, who knew the winds like the back of hand and could command them like no one before her. Miura Haru was a lucky bonus and Nana is glad of the surprise. Tsuna thrives with a friend and Nana can only grin with pride at his excited chattering with his new friend.

“I’ll weave you something that will protect you from having to be ripped apart from yours like that.”

Nana is glad for the fierce promise and knows that the young enchantress will be more than capable of that in the future.

“And what of Iemitsu?” Asa asks with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes (she hopes Nana will say death).

“Nothing.” Nana smiles bitterly. "They would have our head if we killed him."

(Asa is more than pleased to know Nana would rather him dead and if she had it her way she would drain the oxygen from his lungs.)

"But if they want him to ever be Vongola, then they will take a boy who has no fire to command but who can breathe smoke from his lungs and create clouds of burning ash. And if they still demand flames then I'll feed them to my garden." Nana sips her coffee and watches Tsuna with a fond smile. She can still see the small child who giggled when cats made of bright flames leaped around him and who sobbed when she took him inside, wanting to stay with the plants that dominate her garden (the sakura trees were always his favorite, they whispered secrets and riddles that would always leave him thinking). But she realises that he can't be that boy again and she hates the Vongola for that (and she will make them pay eventually). She sees now a boy who survived and is slowly beginning to remember how much he loved the Sakura trees. Smoke now dances around him, ghostly cats leaping onto his shoulders while ash drips from their claws. It might not have been what should've been his but Nana can see that they still make him happy.

"Magic always has a price and they took it away from him." Nana smiles again and looks at Asa with hard eyes. "And magic never does forget when it is owed."

Chapter Text

There was always something nagging in the back of little Tsuna's head that he could never quite remember, sometimes when he would look at the fire dancing in the fireplace something in him would break and he would just cry without knowing why. All he knew is that sometimes looking at fire made him feel empty and lost, and very occasionally so very angry.

And today instead of  that emptiness he was angry.

Burning ash flew around him in dark clouds as he cried but it didn't feel right. Somewhere inside him Tsuna knew that was a fact, knew that the ash should've been something brighter and hotter and that made him angry. He screamed and ash rained from the ceiling, smoke curling around him in thick coils.

"Tsu-kun."

The flames continue to dance mockingly at him and he just cries louder, ash streaming down his cheeks.

"Tsu-kun, listen to mama's voice."

Hands wrap around his little body and the screams die down to choked sobs.

"Follow what Mama's doing." She breathes in and out slowly until he starts to follow in between his choked sobs.

The ash continues to fall around them but it begins to slow down and the smoke curling around his body begin to disappear.

Nana can only watch as the sobs subside, anger rushing through her once again and not for the first time she wonders if she should just feed the Vongola to her garden, consequences be damned. She could make it seem like an accident and it would be so easy to clean up. Noone would know but Nana knows that the Vongola is powerful and she does not want to deal with the consequences just yet.

"Tsu-kun, mama will make some tea."

There is always a feeling of helplessness that follows her whenever she sees her son breakdown like that and it breaks her heart when she knows that he has no idea why he is upset.

“Mama will make Tsu-kun’s favourite?”

Nana ruffles his hair with a soft smile and nods, already going outside. Her plants whisper secrets in her ears as she walks past, silly gossip that her plants enjoy listening to and very rarely are they useful for her. Nana pauses as she walks past her shiso plants.

The Hinamori's are scared. The car has been sitting outside for two hours.

Nana hmms and nonchalantly grabs a pouch hanging from the branch of her sakura tree, the flowers whispering to her in hushed tones.

Vongola. The Sakura at the Sakata house told us that the men are not Vongola but are hunting ones related to them.

Nana lets an oblivious smile cover her lips and very quickly she slips into her persona that she saves for everyone normal in Namimori.

Tell them to keep an ear out. Let the roses and roots in the Hinamori's know and tell them to keep an eye. But that they are not to do anything yet.

Clasping Tsu-kun's favourite blend in one hand and a fistful of dirt in the other as she crouches down, disappearing from view of the road. She whispers in a tongue long forgotten by the world and presses her fingertips deep into the soil, faint green light pulsates through the soil and little black eyes blink open to stare at Nana's still smiling face.

"Sprout in the Sakata's garden and let me know as soon as they make a move."

The eyes blink back at her and seeps through her fingers to sink back into the earth, the soft green light disappearing beneath the earth.

"Sprout as larkspur."

Nana says as an afterthought, smiling as she stands back up, humming as she steps back inside.

"Tsu-kun, mama has to step out for a second. Susu will make tea for you."

Her familiar leaps onto the table, eyes knowing as she looks at Nana as she steps into her shoes and thick coat wrapping around her shoulders.

Nana flicks her hand and the moss hanging from the ceiling drops down onto the ground. Green moss expanding and growing with every whisper of Nana's voice and Nana reaches down to touch the moss with one hand, fingers weaving white runes into its form. The moss glows a soft green and it flickers until it finds the shape that its mistress wants, easily grasping the bigger hand resting on its shoulder and looks up at her with big adoring eyes. Nana ruffles the fluffy hair.

"Come Tsu-kun, mama has some errands to run."

Airheaded many assume of her (of course including her self-proclaimed adoring and loving husband) and the men following her clearly think the same. Nana stifles the sneer that so very wants to emerge, men always think of her as weak and innocent, someone that must need protection and she hates it. Hates pretending but she knows that it is the smart move to play, let them underestimate her as the innocent civilian housewife who knows nothing and is so stupidly in love with her fool of a husband.

They are following.

The apples whisper as she walks past the Hinamori residence, hands clasped tightly around that of her beloved gollum.

"Come Tsu-kun lets visit the Sakata's."

Her words resonate deep within the mossy core and moss slowly sprouts onto the spotless leather backseat, easily escaping the sight of the bickering men in the front.

"The boy is right there. He is a splitting image of the Young Lion. We can take him."

"Patience. Taking the kid in a residential area is stupid."

Nana ruffles it's hair.

"Good job Koke-chan."

The words are barely a whisper but Koke feels the praise resonate within itself and pride wells within.

Nana smiles at the feeling emitting from her gollum and swings their connected hands back and forth.

"What about the mother?"

Nana continues to smile gently, ignoring how the leaves around her darken and the wind that blows a little harsher (commanding the winds was never her forte but the magic of the storms is in her blood).

One of the men chuckles. "I am sure we could sell her to the Estraneo. They always want new lab rats."

The moss in the backseat grow a tad denser and little fungi spores pop up beneath the men's feet -small enough that they can easily go unnoticed.

"Calm down Koke-chan."

The eyes of Koke revert back to the soft brown of Tsuna's and the gollum eases up on the sprouting of the poisonous spores.

"Fuck it. We've waited long enough."

"Marco get back into the fucking car.  Don't be fucking stupid."

Nana hears the door slam behind her as she continues to make her way to the Sakata residence in supposed ignorance, hands swinging Tsu-kun's own as she hums.

"Marco, you fucking moron. What if the young lion has guards stationed?"

Nana bites back her scoff. Her husband is not that smart and if there were guards stationed here then they would've done something years ago when the first assassins attacked.

(That was not a pleasant memory, but that was when she found that flames fueled her garden well and made the most interesting of plants. Her favourite was the assassin who had sun flames and made the strangest Belladonna plant that Nana had the pleasure of creating. It grew rapidly and the poison somehow became more potent, add a little of her own magic and it became something deliciously dangerous. It was one of her more popular plants and people all over the world came to buy a pouch, of course Nana is very careful who she sells her plants to and there are some which she will never sell.)

Marco scoffs. "You are being the fucking moron Vito. There is no-one here. The Young Lion is a moron. The only reason he is still alive is because of Lal Mirch, that woman is a fucking monster."

Nana files that name away.

"The Arcobaleno are all monsters."

Perhaps these men will be more useful alive.

(Hours later and Nana knows everything that the men know about the Arcobaleno and about her idiot of a husband. A few hours later and their bodies are decomposing in her garden and Nana is more than a little disappointed with the results. But Nana is not that surprised, they caved quickly after a little sip of her special brew.)

One would think the assassins would ease up after that but the underworld that her husband is part of is just as stupid as he. They refuse to believe that she is anything more than just a doting housewife, who is ridiculously in love with her husband. They are easy to get rid of, some go into her garden and some go into Helena's inks. It works well until the Rain Arcobaleno strolls into Namimori.

(Lal Mirch finds out that the poor fucking excuse of a human being -ie Sawada Iemitsu- has a wife and a son who he has neglected to inform anyone about and thus left them completely unprotected for years. A livid phonecall later and Iemitsu finds himself short of his best for the unforeseeable future - the recruits of COMSUBIN terrified at the fact that the devil that is Lal Mirch returned. Colonello finds himself at the opposite end of a very angry phonecall and a demand that he goes to Japan. He doesn't have a death-wish and goes without argument. He regrets everything later. Sawada Nana is terrifying and he really fucking hopes she never meets Lal.)

Chapter Text

Colonello has seen a lot in his time and has been through even more, but he can safely say that he wasn't prepared for Sawada Nana and her sharp smiles. It took a lot of time to convince Viper into crafting him an illusion that would allow him to look like himself again (and it wasn't until he gave them a hefty amount of blackmail material on Fon that they finally agreed) and he knows from experience that Viper's illusions are the best. They aren't called the Strongest Illusionist for nothing. But not even five minutes into meeting Sawada Nana, who was meant to be nothing but a civilian -bull fucking shit-, the woman saw straight through his illusion but made no effort into calling him out on it and just smiled at him.

And if Sawada Nana was terrifying then Colonello was not prepared for the woman's friends.

Helena Matsumoto was covered in ink and looked at him as though she could see right into his soul (he wouldn't be surprised if she could) and her fiancee was just as terrifying, although Mana was far better at concealing it. Then there was Miura Asa. Colonello really did not trust her smiles, luckily she leaves as soon she appears. Dropping off her daughter, who Colonello knew was gonna be a menace when she's older.

(He is right. But at least Miura Haru isn't his problem and it gives him vicious satisfaction to know that she is now Vongola's problem.)

"Colonello-kun, would you prefer tea or coffee?"

If Colonello were anyone else he would have jumped at Nana's voice but instead he just squeaks out a quick, "Coffee please", and shrivels a little inside when Helena snorts. He really does not want Lal to meet anyone of these women because he just knows they would all get along like a house on damn fire.

(They do meet years later and Colonello isn't afraid to admit that he cries)

Helena leans forward in her chair, eyes narrowed as she looks him up and down.

"I heard that the Arcobaleno curse was bad but I did not expect it to reek of magic."

This time Colonello does jump in his seat and turns his head sharply to her and then to a humming Nana in her kitchen.

"Sawada is clearly a stupid man and you are obviously not a civilian."

Helena snorts again and Nana just smiles but it is Mana that answers.

"He is stupid but you aren't." She cocks her head at him. "You didn't react to Helena saying magic."

This time Colonello snorts as he rubs his temples, already feeling a headache brewing.

"I've seen some every now and again." Then he groans and lets Viper's illusion drop from his form. The feet that were touching the carpet disappear and his tiny legs come to rest on the edge of the now massive chair. He grins at them wryly. "I've fought in a lot of wars and in more than one there has been someone with something I can't explain."

Nana brings him his coffee and he smiles at her gratefully. She sits down next to him and stares at him for an unnerving amount of time before saying to Helena.

"What do you think? Do you think you can break it?"

Colonello almost forgets how to breathe as Helena stares at the pacifier intensely.

"Don't think so. Not now at least."

Nana sighs but then fixes him with a hard look and Colonello swears he just saw his life flash before his eyes.

"Now why is the Rain Arcobaleno in my house? And please do not lie. I have had enough of liars."

Colonello groans again and swears under his breathe.

"A colleague asked me to check up on Sawada's family. She found out about you and  your son, and wasn't very happy." He laughs dryly. "Your husband might come knocking soon."

And if Colonello was terrified of her before then now he knows that he will have nightmares about this day in the near future.

"Is he now?" Nana sips from her tea with her eyes narrowed and her cat leaps onto her lap, gaze fixed onto Falco.

Mana sighs and stares at Helena, who has her lips pressed into a firm line.

"Did you know Colonello-kun that Tsu-kun used to have what I believe are called Sky flames?"

Colonello's gaze fixes upon hers sharply and feels a familiar dread creeping in his chest.

"And that his magic was fire based?"

Colonello smartly does not say a single word and takes a careful sip of his coffee, gaze firmly upon Nana.

"And did you know that my husband," Nana sneers that word with an expression that looks so very odd on her face, "and his boss sealed his flames and by extension his magic?"

Colonello exhales sharply, recalling all too well Reborn's anger all those years ago after meeting Dino.

("They sealed his flames. He was barely functional before I broke it. He struggled speaking and reading. And don't even get me started on his co-ordination. They were lucky I managed to break it before the seal fully took root. But I don't think the clumsiness will truly ever go.")

"Is he fine?"

Nana's expression softens a little but her eyes are still full of a soft fury that fills Colonello with dread.

"Yes. He won't be able to use sky flames again nor will he be able to use fire the same way. But his magic is still there."

Colonello gulps down his coffee in one swift movement.

"I'll tell Lal that Iemitsu doesn't need to come."

Nana turns to him with an arched eyebrow and he shrugs at her.

"I haven't been able to secure a job since this happened. I'm sure you can protect yourself but for the purpose of Sawada's stupidity and more importantly to ease Lal, I'll stay and play bodyguard."

Nana smiles at him and it finally reaches her eyes.

"Thank you Colonello-kun."

Helena and Mana share another look and then Helena sighs, fingers tangling in her hair.

"Do you reckon I can take a closer look at that thing? It's honestly bugging me alot."

Colonello grins in return.

"Fucking please."

Tsuna still has his bad days and when Colonello witnesses his first one he vows to murder Iemitsu or just tell Lal and let her deal with it.

"Tsu-kun, its alright. Mama is right here."

Colonello stares at the kid with his hands clenched as Tsuna cries, clouds of dense ash dripping from his eyes and bright embers burning at his feet. He swears he sees something bright flicker in his eyes before it is snuffed out and Colonello vows again that he is going to murder Iemitsu, consequences be fucking damned. An eyebrow arches in interest as Tsuna's form flickers and then he disappears into a cloud of dark smoke, ash circling around him in a violent dance.

"Oh dear. That's new." Nana frowns as he disappears from her fingers and she matches Colonello's look of confusion. "Colonello-kun could you please ring Asa-chan for me? I am not sure what happened."

He is surprised that she isn't panicking more at the moment but Colonello supposes they can still hear Tsuna after all. He is sobbing incoherently and sometimes Colonello can hear a wailing 'mama' in the room so everything is probably ok. Colonello's definition of 'ok' is very different to most people, being around people who kill others for a living will warp a lot of things. (Reborn was a disaster. Colonello can never quite forget the -no matter how much he wants to- time when he came back to the house after a particularly long mission for COMSUBIN and Reborn was at the sink trying to get blood of his white shirt. Colonello never wants to know what Reborn did to make his entire shirt drenched in blood)

"Tsu-kun, mama is gonna help you but you need to breath."

The phone rings once, twice and on the third a distinctly familiar voice answers.

"Miura Asa speaking."

"Hello Miura-san, its Colonello."

"Oh. Colonello-kun - wait Haru, stop. Don't touch that it's cursed."

Colonello just stares blankly into space, he forgets sometimes that he's now in a world where he knows people with actual magic and apparently people just have cursed objects lying about in their homes. He really shouldn't judge, after all his pacifier is a disaster and Helena is driving herself to near hysteria trying to break his bloody curse.

"Sorry about that. My husband brought something back from his travels that was cursed and we haven't had the time to ask Helena about it yet. How can I help?"

'Mama' wails from behind him and Colonello looks back just in time to see the cloud that is Tsuna crackle with what sounds suspiciously like a volcano and sparks of glowing embers drift around him and Nana just gesturing at Colonello to pass her the phone.

"Uhh. Tsuna turned into smoke and looks like he might erupt, I guess?"

He hears Asa snort in disbelief before he throws the phone to Nana and just sits on the armchair, hands covering his face. Reborn would love this chaos and Colonello is slightly terrified but very intrigued into seeing what would happen if he ever came to Namimori.

Tsuna does end up erupting and Colonello does not know where he went wrong in life.

Chapter Text

Training his magic is probably Tsuna's favourite thing to do, especially when mama takes him to train with other kids or when Colonello teaches him about flames and gives him lessons on the mafia. Tsuna still does not fully understand what happened to him when he was younger but he is old enough to know that he does not like father and that his magic should've been something else.

"Tsu-kun, Tsu-kun!" Haru bounds over to him with a wide grin, a glowing thread stretching from between her thumb and forefinger. "I made a new spell! Kaa-chan freaked out when I showed her and Tou-san laughed or cried."

Tsuna grins back at her. "Colonello taught me about flames. Mama said it was important in case Iemitsu shows up."

Haru frowns. "I think I can weave curses soon." She beams at him. "I could weave one in his shoes or something!"

Tsuna grins back just as brightly, all the possibilities brewing about his little brain.

"Oh. You have to meet Kyoko-chan and Haru-chan!"

Tsuna looks back at Nana for permission and she just smiles and waves him off, turning back to Asa in hushed tones. He briefly hears a 'Colonello-kun said that they might make a move soon', but the words disappear quickly as Haru's infectious happiness latches onto him and soon he is giggling as she drags him off to two distinctly different girls.

"Tsu-kun, this is Kyoko-chan and Hana-chan. Kyoko-chan and Hana-chan this is Tsu-kun!"

Kyoko grins back at him, as cheerful as Haru and Hana just looks at him with her arms crossed over her chest before Kyoko nudges her with a playful frown. Hana rolls her eyes.

"Hi! Haru-chan said you'll be going to the same school as us." Here she pouts and glares at Haru. "But Haru isn't."

Tsuna frowns. He'd forgotten about that and also turns to glare at Haru. He isn't really angry with her but he is upset that his only friend would be going somewhere else and it also wasn't her fault that Haru was a genius. He'd heard his mum and Aunty Helena talk about Haru's magic and how she would become a force of nature when she was older, he has also heard his Uncle Colonello talk about Haru in much more fearful tones, mainly along the lines of 'Lal can never meet her.' Tsuna chooses not to question it anymore, he's heard enough stories to know that Lal is terrifying and knows that she is probably the only why his father is still alive.

Haru blushes and Tsuna grins. Even though he has never met Kyoko in his life he has heard enough about her from Haru's countless ramblings about how pretty Kyoko is and how cool her magic is and then how pretty she is again. She's a disaster but Tsuna still cherishes her with his life.

Hana uncrosses her arms and stares Tsuna down. "What's your magic?"

Kyoko groans and sends a small apologetic smile to Tsuna and nudges Hana again, this time a bit more sharply in the ribs.

"What Hana-chan meant to say is that my magic is similar to necromancy and hers revolves around sealing, and then what about yours. Right Hana-chan?"

'Be nice' goes unspoken and Hana rolls her eyes in typical 11 year old fashion.

"Sure. That's what I meant. So what's yours?"

Tsuna's eyes light up at the mention of Hana's magic. "So like Aunty Helena's? Cool! Ah. Mine is smoke."

This time Haru rolls her eyes.

"Tsu-kun is being modest. His is smoke but also ash and embers. Aunty Nana calls it Volcanic magic."

Hana arches an eyebrow in interest and Kyoko's eyes gleam as she leans forward.

"Is it like fire magic? Can you make fire?"

Neither Kyoko or Hana miss the simultaneous stiffening of their companions and Haru carefully answers after looking at Tsuna.

"Nah. But Tsu-kun's magic is cooler than stupid flames."

Tsuna grins shyly at Haru's words as Kyoko and Hana share a look before Kyoko just grins.

"Fire is overrated anyway."

Tsuna grins in return and feels the anxiety leave his chest.

"How does necromancy work?"

Kyoko's grin widen and she practically jumps on the balls of her feet before excitedly spieling out a long and complicated explanation that Tsuna somehow manages to follow.

"At the moment I can only really communicate with the dead and I'm learning how to shape bones from wax, see?" Kyoko reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small pouch full of unshaped wax, with a furrow of her eyebrows she molds the wax with her hands and as she does her hands turn translucent and a sparkling blackness outlines her hands. The wax moulds into a skeletal hand, faintly glistening with spots of leftover wax. "I haven't learnt how to fully change it into bone yet and I'm still experimenting with different materials to see which I like best."

Tsuna mouth opens and he can see why Haru is so fascinated with her magic. Kyoko lets the bone dissipate back into its original material and looks expectantly at Hana who sighs in return.

She dips her fingers into her bag and pulls out a small jar full of jet black ink and dips her fingers and crouches down to draw on the ground the kanji for 'crumble' and the word shines a bright silver before sinking into the ground. Tsuna stares as the ground crumbles a fraction after the word disappears and then Hana flicks her wrist and the ground returns to normal.

"I mainly create seals with ink and paper but different inks create different reactions. I'm also experimenting with different inks to see what they do."

Then Hana folds her arms again and arches an eyebrow back at him.

Tsuna grins and then his form flickers into a familiar cloud of dense smoke. It took him a while to learn but with Haru's mum's help he managed to learn how to flit in out of the form with ease, he's still trying to figure out to only turn certain parts of his body into smoke but he hasn't figured that out yet. He turns back after a few seconds.

"I'm still getting the hang of it. It's difficult."

Kyoko claps her hands in excitement and her eyes gleam with mischief.

"That's so cool! Can you shape the smoke? Can you change your form to be like ash as well? What about embers? That's so cool!"

Tsuna blushes at the attention and the amount of questions that come from her mouth all at once.

"Sort of. No to the last two. But maybe I can? I haven't really explored that part of my magic yet."

Hana's arms are still crossed but Tsuna can see the slight intrigue in her eyes.

"I heard your mum has an interesting garden." Here she smirks and Tsuna only feels a little terrified. "Do you think she'll let me see it?"

It's the start of a terrifying friendship and Tsuna only mildly regrets saying yes.

(He regrets it when a few months later Hana uses the ink of one of Nana's more creative plants and manages to create a seal that somehow manages to blur the realm of the dead and the living. It wasn't a good time for anyone but hey it made for a great story).

The first week of middle school was a time that Tsuna would honestly rather forget. It was a bad time but at least Tsuna had his budding friendship with Hana and Kyoko, Haru wasn't there but they saw each other every week so it was manageable.

Iemitsu arrived on his third day of middle school and honestly that day cemented his hatred for the man who helped give him life.

Colonello picked him up in his adult form, intricate seal etched into the sole of his foot courtesy of a sleep deprived and slightly crazed Helena.

("I hate you and that fucking curse. It literally defies every single law of magic. But I will find a way to break that fucking thing even if it causes me physical and emotional pain.")

That was Tsuna's first clue that something happened and the second was that Haru was also there with a furious expression. And the last was that the fact that Colonello was angry. Tsuna can count on one hand the amount of times that he has seen Colonello angry, most of which were aimed at their neighbours or Tsuna's bullies.

"Iemitsu is here."

Colonello finally says as they're driving out of the school and his face is carefully blank as he looks ahead. "So is Timoteo. Mana is there already."

Tsuna tenses as he recalls the conversation a few days ago when Nana finally sat him down and told him about the seal and the flames that should've been his.

"We're pretty sure its to make sure the seal is still active. Helena has prepped a faux seal and is waiting for us."

Tsuna hyperventilates and Haru rubs his back in comforting circles.

"I have a curse ready. But what do you think. Unluckiness or a blood infection?"

 Tsuna snorts through his splutters.

"How long will they last?"

"I can only make the blood infection last a day or two. But he'll be unlucky for a week." She sounds disappointed that Tsuna can't help but snort again.

"Unluckiness."

Haru grins as she twist again to look at the road, mind already going to the future.

"Next time I'll make it last a month."

Colonello pulls into a culdesac a few streets before their own and Helena is standing there arms crossed and facial expression grim.

"It'll last for the day. We're not sure how long they'll stay."

Helena's expression is cold but Tsuna can tell it isn't aimed at him as her fingers fly to his neck. Tsuna can feel as the seal takes effect, a numbness flows through his body and he can feel his magic drift away until it is just a distant drum in his veins and he throws up immediately afterwards, jumping over Helena to vomit outside.

"Sorry kid. It has to be authentic." Helena spits out the last word with pure venom.

Tsuna is twelve and he hates Iemitsu.

Hates the fake smile that oozes from his disgusting face and he draws him in for a hug.

"My lil Tuna fish! You've grown so much."

Tsuna is twelve and hates the Vongola.

Timoteo comes to him to him with a fake grandfatherly smile that does not reach his eyes and pats him on the head. Tsuna can feel the heat drift through his body, prodding and searching for any life of his flames or anything abnormal. The smoke and ash in him flare out in anger but Helena's seal stays firm and Tsuna can only hold down the fury and bile. He sees his mum over Timoteo's shoulder, face carefully blank as she lets her naive housewife persona take over but Tsuna can see how the grass at her feet darken and begin to rot, Susu at her feet hissing with her eyes trained on Iemitsu. Helena and Mana are next to her, Helena's arms crossed as she glares at Iemitsu whilst Mana smiles at him but Tsuna knows that the creek in their garden is boiling with rage. Tsuna doesn't see Haru but knows that she is inside somewhere weaving a curse into the soles of Iemitsu's shoes. Colonello disappeared as soon as he dropped them off but there is sensation of being watched and he knows that he is somewhere near, likely with his rifle aimed at Timoteo's forehead.

"My, my Tsuna-kun you have grown much since our last visit."

Nana plays the role of a dutiful housewife as Helena and Mana shadow her every move leaving Iemitsu more than confused at the fact that his wife has friends and Timoteo just continues his role of being a doting grandfather.

Tsuna is twelve and he finally knows why his mum hates Iemitsu and everything involved with him.

Eyes lock onto Haru's who grimly nods at him with a disgusted look Iemitsu's way and he knows that no matter what Haru will be at his side.

Tsuna is twelve when he realises that magic always collects what it is owed and the Vongola owe it centuries worth.

Chapter Text

School was something Tsuna hated. He could never understand what his teachers were saying, all the words jumbling together into incoherent sentences and the texts they assigned never made sense.

"Dame-Tsuna can't read!"

Tsuna frowns in his chair. He can. He has read every book in his home, nearly every one in Haru's house and even some of Aunty Helena's when she lets him (and it is very rare that she lets him read them). They were easy to understand, the words flowed easier for him and if he ever had trouble Susu would be there, curled up into his lap whispering what the words meant and walked him through the page. But here at school Tsuna can't focus, everything feels loud and disorganised and nothing makes sense. The teachers don't help, Tsuna sees the way they scoff at him and whisper behind their hands about his mother, and that's the worst part about school. The way everyone whispers about his family, the teachers are discreet about it but the students haven't learnt how to be cruel silently yet.

"I heard that Dame-Tsuna's dad left because he was ashamed of his family."

Tsuna has long since learnt how to bite his tongue and he knows that if Haru was here she would be livid, hissing threats and silently planning what curse to weave in their clothing. The thought makes him happy. But just because he has learnt to keep quiet it doesn't mean the words don't hurt. He hates his father but sometimes he wonders if the only reason he did what he did was because he was ashamed of him. It's not a thought that Tsuna gives much attention to but at school when it is something he is constantly taunted about he can't help but think what if that's why.

"I heard that your mother is having an affair with the principle and that's why your grades never go below A."

"Hana-chan, don't spread lies. I heard she was also having an affair with Daisuke-kun's brother."

Tsuna swallows the giggles down. Kurokawa Hana and Sasagawa Kyoko always made High School a little more tolerable and he would always be grateful to Haru for the introduction.

Hana arches an eyebrow down at him.

"I know for a fact that you can read, so why are you being such a dumb monkey?"

"Hana-chan." Kyoko frowns and sends a side glare her way.

Hana rolls her eyes.

"You know I'm not wrong."

Tsuna opens his mouth to respond but then Nezu-sensei speaks up

"Alright kids, settle down, settle down. Sawada-kun could you please read out page 143."

And his day dulls a considerable amount.

Haru frowns as Kyoko finishes her angry recount of the class with Hana adding a point here and there.

"But Tsuna can read." She turns to him with a frown. "I mean you just finished reading Cloud Atlas and those flame theories by that scientist."

Hana arches an eyebrow at Kyoko who just pursues her lips and looks away.

"Its different here." He barely gets out the sentence without mumbling. "Everything is too wrong here. I'ts loud and I can't concentrate."

Haru cocks her head and frowns.

"We'll ask your mum tonight or Aunty Helena."

Tsuna doesn't know what he would've done without Haru in his life.

"Point out the kids that were making fun of you. I'll hex their clothes with fleas."

Tsuna snorts, remembering all too well the first time Haru created that particular curse.

Haru hmms and idly pulls at the thread of her shirt, before frowning down.

"I hate cheap fabric."

Tsuna snorts and Haru glares at him.

"It's a pain to work with and it always breaks. But" Haru rolls her eyes, "Mum has forbidden me from modifying the uniform."

Hana rolls her eyes and Kyoko punches her in the side with a demure smile.

Tsuna grins. School isn't that bad when he has company.

Haru yelps as she looks down at her wrist.

"Hahi! I have to go." She looks at the three of them. "Tsuna's house after school. Make sure he doesn't procrastinate." Hands flying up quickly to weave a threaded door, each strand glowing brightly with tiny symbols etched into them. Tsuna's eyes squint to try catch her weave her runes or even her thread, but Haru has always been too quick for his eyes. His mum always said that she was a genius and honestly Tsuna believes it, the things he has seen her create are ridiculous -he never forgot that time she weaved a curse of bad luck into the sole of Iemitsu's shoes when he came back a few years ago, it only lasted a week but it made Tsuna's decade. Haru walks through the door with a wave and grins. "Tsuna tends to procrastinate when he wants to pretend he doesn't have commitments."

Its Hana who smirks back.

"Unsurprising honestly."

Tsuna frowns before saying almost absentmindedly.

"Should we invite Yamamoto-kun?"

The pair look at each other before Kyoko chimes out a response.

"Yes."

Tsuna smiles tentatively. He hadn't spoken to Takeshi in years, ever since his mother died and Tsuyoshi tried to continue bringing Takeshi to their communal magic training sessions but apparently Takeshi didn't see the point. His magic was not one to brag about (the rain in him refusing to let magic take control but they don't know that yet) and it was always Makino who held the magic in that family. Colonello once told him in distracted passing that Tsuyoshi was once someone who was feared in the Underworld and was scouted by more than one famiglia, Vongola included but he always refused.

'You know, he once fought Iemitsu and won.'

That was enough for Tsuna to know that Tsuyoshi was a far better man than Iemitsu, anyone who fights or hates Iemitsu is a good person in Tsuna's eyes.

"You know," Kyoko muses as they walk to the door, "I heard that Yamamoto-san reopened his restaurant."

Hana raises an eyebrow and Tsuna just stares at Kyoko with his head cocked.

"How about we meet there instead? We can drag him to your place afterwards."

Tsuna grins again. "Okay!"

His expression drops again when Hana pokes an elbow into his ribs.

"Next time don't be such a monkey and tell us you can't read at school."

Kyoko steps on Hana's toes.

"Don't be mean Hana-chan."

Tsuna laughs loudly.

He has never regretted letting the pair into his little bubble of friends, even if Kyoko once broke a seal that let out a hellhound and then that hellhound somehow became her familiar.

Kyoko is terrifying and Tsuna fears the time she meets Iemitsu.

(Or Lal for that matter. Colonello spoke enough about her to make Tsuna weary of the woman meeting anyone of his friends or his mother for that matter)

When Tsuna sees a blur of body drop from above them he forgets everything and lets smoke take over.

Yamamoto Takeshi hated school.

He hated how people would flock to him with fake grins and questions about baseball and baseball and more fucking baseball.

He gets it.

Baseball is all he is good at and the only thing worth spending time with him.

(He knows that is a lie. His dad spends time with him because he loves him)

But that doesn't matter to him at school. At school the only fucking thing that matters is baseball and Takeshi hates it.

He misses his mum and the smell of burning coal in the morning. Misses waking up her giggles and the hammer hitting steel, the magic etching into steel with every hit. He misses how the house was full to the brim with magic and the soothing sounds that would follow her magic. He misses his dad's grins and the smell of fresh fish in the morning or the smell of sea salt when his dad would return from one of his early morning fish trips.

The house is empty now.

His dad rarely fishes now, maybe once in a blue moon.

(Takeshi doesn't know that Tsuyoshi started fishing again or started cooking again. He doesn't know that the restaurant will reopen tonight and that his dad planned it to be a surprise for his 15th birthday)

Takeshi hates school and when he steps off from that ledge he didn't expect anyone to care.

He didn't expect to hear someone scream his name or to not feel the harsh ground. He doesn't expect to open his eyes and see smoke surrounding him, the familiar scent of a childhood friend's magic surrounding him in a warm embrace.

Takeshi cries because he did not think anyone cared about him.

(When Tsuyoshi gets that phone-call he drops everything and runs out the door, before stopping and grabbing a carefully wrapped bento box. Tsuyoshi knows its stupid to think of a birthday surprise when he gets a phone call like that but he knows that Takeshi has missed coming home to a home-cooked meal and the hum of magic in the air. He cannot bring him magic but he can bring him a meal made with love and care and a thousand apologies and god does he hope that is enough.)