Chapter 3

It's when they're just finishing talking about some of the differences between Asia and Italy that they sit on one of the benches in the park his intuition apparently knew about. There's a lull in the conversation that Tsuna takes advantage of to take the food out of the bag and warm his hands with its heat. He places one in front of both and gives a spoon to his companion with a resigned smile. He's still a bit miffed that the Chinese restaurant didn't have any chopsticks.

The man seems to understand as he huffs softly. It's still a bit strange to see no hostile expressions on his face, even more so when the man eats a spoonful and kind of… beams. In a calm way. His smile widens a fraction and his eyes crinkle a bit.

Tsuna tries not to shudder. The man's amusement doesn't seem to increase so he may have hidden it right. Or maybe he's too distracted with the food to notice.

They don't talk about the elephant in the room. Or perhaps it's better to say they don't talk about the unconscious men they'd left behind. Tsuna would usually avoid it with his Dying Will as to dodge getting roped in strange and dangerous things, but he's curious. It feels important to the person in front of him, something he needs to talk about.

But it doesn't matter how painful the training he's endured was, he's still No-Good Tsuna and he's a coward. The only mention he dares is a comment of "You're really strong."

He doesn't expect an answer, but the man surprises him with a nod. "I've trained hard since I was but a child."

"That's awesome. I wonder if I-pin will become as strong as you," he mumbles, looking to the side.

"Does this I-pin know martial arts?"

Tsuna looks back and nods, a fond smile forming. "She's five and has been training years before I met her; never skipping her exercises or pulling her punches. She's Chinese, but now she's living with my mom and another two kids. Her goal is to be one of the best martial artists and she's stubborn enough I know she will make it one day."

"Her age is too young to determine something without seeing her style, but I'm sure she will become strong. We Chinese are really determined, after all."

"You're Chinese? You speak Japanese really well, mister!"

"… Mister?" The man trails off. Then his face turns a tad apologetic. "Oh, my apologies for not introducing myself beforehand. My name's Huo."

Lie, his intuition says, a little unsure, but Tsuna doesn't think hard about that uncertainness when it's no surprise he's given a false name. At least Tsuna has a name to give to dangerous individuals now.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Ozora."

"Ozora? Interesting name."

"Like yours. Fire, right?"

There's a strain in his smile as he nods. "Yes."

Tsuna scratched his head, feeling sheepish himself. "I feel bad for not knowing much Chinese even when I've lived with a Chinese friend for more than a year. I mean, you're speaking Japanese with me and after so long since using it… it feels nice. I would have liked to do the same for you, but, um," he trails off, feeling quite glad Reborn isn't here to shoot him for mumbling. "Thank you, Huo-san."

Huo-san lowers his spoon, another soft smile directed his way, this one void of mischief. "You're a good kid, Ozora-kun."

A flash of battles and friends too young to face the horrors of life and death situations, the weight of responsibility, of the 'if they die it's on you' moments comes to mind and he wants to laugh dryly.

He doesn't as he also remembers why and what everyone has fought so hard for. Why he's here.

"I'm not a kid," he says, perhaps too quiet for the determination he's feeling.

Huo-san hears though. "A good Sky never stops being a child."

Tsuna frowns in confusion. The words are said in Italian so the meaning of them comes slower, especially after having a conversation in Japanese. When understanding clicks into place, he's glad he hadn't been eating or he'd have choked.

His hand goes to the empty space around his neck. He remembers he's forgotten the necklace and punched a man with a flame covered fist.

"Oh," he says in a small voice. Surprisingly though, he isn't afraid. He looks at Huo-san in the eye and holds his gaze. There's a sharpness that reminds him of Yamamoto when he's serious but more mature. And curiosity. Like he's found something wonderfully rare and he doesn't know what to do with it.

Tsuna is a Sky with active flames and that's enough for people to come for him. He's rare in the mafia world, unaffiliated as he currently is, and in the same way, he attracts 'Guardians', he also attracts trouble. Because of that he really doesn't know what to do with himself at times, either.

But that's okay. His intuition knows and he trusts it. And it says this man will respect his opinion, so with a conviction, he's not actually sure of, he says, "You won't say anything."

Huo-san tilts his head, smile always present. "won't I?"

Tsuna narrows his eyes, feels the flame inside him fluttering in the way it hasn't been able to for weeks, wanting nothing but to stretch and be used, ever since he started carrying the necklace. "I've something to do, Huo-san, and I don't have the time to continuously be moving around, hiding. I like my freedom."

"You do?" He pushes his almost empty plate aside with a hum. "And you're sure I—"

"You're not a bad person, Huo-san," he finds himself saying, repeating the same words he said to the man bleeding in his apartment. "Dangerous, but not bad."

The man makes his hands visible, away from the shadows of the sleeves. The palms are a little red, the knuckles a little bruised, but that's easy to ignore, unlike his nails. They're short but that does nothing to hide the red under them. Tsuna gently touches one and takes it between his smaller hands, glad he took off his gloves to eat. They're cold in a way that has nothing to do with the weather.

"Does it hurt?" he asks, but he doesn't think he's talking about the visible injures.

Huo-san doesn't seem to think so, either. He says a 'yes' without smiling.

Tsuna feels uncomfortable but he doesn't let go of the hand even as he takes out his trusty water bottle from his bag to clean the injuries. He reaches for the other instead. Then he dries them with the napkins that came with the take out. Huo-san is surprisingly quiet and docile throughout the whole process. Even when he's holding his hands to just warm them from the chill air of autumn.

"I think there's a pharmacy close by," he says without looking up. "I-I can get some bandages and—"

"I've bandages."

He looks up. "Um, well, I've got a friend who loves boxing. He taught me how to bandage a hand and, well." He motions his right hand, the one with bandages covering the palm. "I've some experience. If you want, I could do it."

Huo smiles and with a hesitant squeeze lets his hands go. He takes two rolls of clean bandages from one pocket and gives them to him.

The conversation is light as he wraps fingers, knuckles, and palm. Then he repeats the process, on the other hand, making sure it's not too tight but not loose either. Huo tests both hands by making fists and weird signs with his fingers. Tsuna is silent as he watches him, sneakily trying to repeat the easier signs with the hand resting on his thigh. Huo throws him an amused glance so he guesses he wasn't sneaky enough.

"Harmony," Huo-san murmurs in Chinese, humming when they throw the take out and wet napkins in a near trash can.

His intelligent answer is a distracted, "Huh?"

For some reason it makes Huo-san laugh.

"Would you like for me to accompany you to your home, Ozora-kun?"

"I said I wasn't a kid, Huo-san. I can return by myself."

"I would feel less worried though."

Tsuna gives him a look. "Tomorrow I would do the same. And the next day. And the day after that one."

"If you're trying to reassure me, you're not doing a good job of it."

He actually looks worried so Tsuna stops walking. He remembers when he learned about flames and how it was almost instinctual for Elements to want to protect Skies. And Tsuna is one. The first days living in Italy, so close to the mafia, has made his eyes open to some things. Made him wary of his status. Especially because for some reason everyone thinks he hasn't harmonized with anyone and that means his value increases, apparently. So he kind of understands Huo-san's worry.

He scratches his cheek. "I've got a necklace that hides I'm a Sky. I forgot to wear it today, so… yeah. I'll be careful next time."

Huo-san blinks at him, obviously curious and wanting to ask him about the necklace, but also not wanting to push. He looks troubled but something tells him it's not because of the necklace. It's the kind others don't need to pry into until one is ready to say it. Time will tell, so Tsuna lets Huo-san to sort out whatever he's thinking and continues walking with him by his side.

They turn right at an intersection Tsuna knows. It leads to the poorest district, to his apartment. He looks up at Huo. "I've to turn here, Huo-san. It was nice to meet you."

Huo-san pats his head with gentle fingers, the same he saw sending a man into unconsciousness. "The pleasure was mine, Ozora-kun. I hope we meet again."

Tsuna answers with a smile and a wave of a hand. He then arranges his hat and gloves and walks to his apartment.

- x -

The next day is nice. There are not many rooms occupied so he does everything at a slow pace. He thinks that maybe today will be a good day and greets everyone with a smile.

Then comes lunch and his intuition orders him to buy Oolong tea and a special kettle to make it before returning to his apartment. There's dread forming in the pit of his stomach but he obeys with wary movements and an emptier wallet.

Stranger-san doesn't ask what the kettle is for but he does raise an eyebrow in its direction.

"A friend will be dropping by soon," he says with a shaky smile.

"You have friends?"

Normally Tsuna would glare at him in indignation and splutter an "I so do have friends!"

That afternoon he sighs instead like the world is settling on top of his shoulders.

"Not normal friends, apparently," he says, remembering all the people he got to meet in the last few years, all the crazy stuff he got himself into and all the happy moments. A real smile tugs at his lips. "Well, at least I can't say life's ever going to be boring."

Stranger-san rests his cup on the table. "You're showing signs of delusion."

Tsuna scrunches his nose at him.

He's shot at for his problems.

- x -

It's not until the next morning that he gets to taste the tea. The buzz he's becoming to associate with his Hyper Intuition wakes him up at six-thirty and Tsuna doesn't complain as he robotically gets up and makes the bed. He stores the cushions for later use and goes to the bathroom before he transforms the place where he slept into a couch. He goes to the kitchen, briefly noticing on the table the extra plates with a traditional Japanese breakfast along with a pair of red chopsticks, and takes the tea out, the kettle already on the stove.

His intuition tells him it's time a couple of minutes later so he goes to the door and leans on the wall next to it. He doesn't have to wait long. Half a minute later he hears three soft knocks.

Huo-san is standing under the doorway with that calm smile of his.

"How did you know where I live," he wants to ask first,

"Did you stalk me here?" comes a close second.

"Do you like Oolong tea?" he asks instead.

Huo-san laughs quietly at his resigned tone. "It's my favorite."

Go figure.

- x -

He's had to change his schedule a bit but Tsuna manages. Now instead of waking at eight, he's already up and ready with tea at seven. Huo-san is always punctual so Tsuna is already opening the door at the same time the water boils. He never asks about his job but he always checks for any injury Huo-san may have gotten that he can help with.

Mostly they just eat breakfast and talk in Japanese, mostly so Huo-san can help him with his Italian.

"Your understanding is surprisingly good for only having studied two months prior to coming to Italy."

Tsuna hangs his head in misery at remembering his Italian lessons. "The one who taught me shocked me whenever I got something wrong so it's not so surprising."

"Shocked? As in… scared you?"

"As in electrocuted me."

There's a silence in which Tsuna ponders if Huo-san is feeling sympathetic enough to let him cry on his shoulder. He glances up to check but only finds a thoughtful look on the other's face. Tsuna immediately straightens in his seat.

"Huo-san..?"

"Say, would you feel more comfortable if I used the same technique to teach you?"

"Please, no," he says quickly.

Huo-san almost looks put-upon.

Tsuna definitely needs normal friends. Or at least people who will react normally at confessions like the one he admitted. His only consolation is that Huo-san asked. Stranger-san simply states how it hasn't obviously worked and should he be the one teaching him, he would have used a higher voltage.

After saying that, he offers offhandedly to help him with his Italian, his smirk too sadistic to be reassuring.

The pout he receives when Tsuna informs him he already has a friend taking care of teaching him is too terrifying.

Tsuna is so, so glad Huo-san appeared in his life at the moment he did and he never got the chance to ask Stranger-san to teach him. And if Huo-san always brings two rolls of bandages for his hands, well. Tsuna is always happy to help.