Chapter 45

(December 19th, Sunday – night)

In the end, Renato doesn't end up killing him. Though that doesn't mean he isn't mad. They have been eating for twenty minutes and so far he hasn't said anything to him. He's mostly just glaring.

When he's over, he sips his glass of wine and looks thoughtfully at him. He seems to have reached some conclusion and is ready to talk, which fills him with dread.

Luckily, his phone rings at that moment. "I need to go!"

True to his word, he jumps at the opportunity and goes to retrieve his phone from his bag. He doesn't recognize the number but considering only two people have his number and Mona said they'll be talking tomorrow, that only leaves an option.

"Fong!"

"Hi, Ozora. I apologize for how short was our last call, I needed to—"

Renato takes the phone from him. "Hey, fire breath. Guess who has harmonized?"

Tsuna doesn't hear Fong's answer but he can see Renato's sadistic smile clearly.

"No, no. It wasn't me." Renato hums, completely ignoring his attempts at taking hold of the phone. "Exactly. Our little Ozora has met some guy while we were gone and now he has a new Element, isn't it sweet?"

Tsuna doesn't care anymore, his intuition is telling him how bad things are turning. He lights up his flames and with a force, he hasn't used in a while, he pulls Renato's free arm to the side. The man loses his balance but stays standing and quickly moves into the best defensive position. Tsuna kicks him on the leg and finds it satisfactory when the other hisses.

"I think he's fallen in love and this person has corrupted his little heart."

"That's not true! We made the decision when we were in our right minds! He didn't do anything to me!"

"Ho? You haven't denied that you've fallen in love," he says pushing his face away with a hand.

"I haven't, either!" he answers with his voice muffled. "I do love him, though—He's my Lightning, my friend!"

Mamoru, sliding off of him, makes Tsuna able to call for his flames, for his Hyper mode. A flame appears on his forehead and he's ready to battle Renato even if it hurts him to think of it. Who knows what those words are doing to Fong. He's the most susceptible of them and the one who has wanted longer for him to be his Sky.

With a speed he normally doesn't show off, Tsuna kicks Renato on his leg, makes him tumble, and jumps to retrieve his phone. "Don't listen to him. He's just angry at me. Whatever he told you, I—"

"Is it true?"

His throat starts hurting, but he shoves back the tears that want to come off. "I needed to."

"And why this person and not… Renato. He's been there for a day, hasn't he? Or is this Element stronger than us?"

That startles him, so much so he lets out a small laugh at the idea of Dimtr fighting with Renato or Fong. "No."

"Smarter?"

That's a little bit harder. Tsuna knows how much Renato thinks of his intelligence and he doesn't want to hurt his ego. So with just a glance thrown at the hitman, who is glaring at him, he says, "I think you three are smart in different things, though if it's IQ what you're asking, then, er, kind of."

Renato's glare if possible becomes even more intense. "So that's it? That's what one needs to—"

"No. That's not it," he says, answering Renato. Then at the phone, "We reached an understanding. He knows I've got a hidden agenda and he could fall into Discordance. He's accepted because he wants to experience that Discordance to study it. I wouldn't do that to you without explaining things first."

"Do I get an explanation now?" is the answer he hears through the phone.

"I'll talk to you both in person. This is something that I don't want to be heard by anyone else and is best to not do it by the phone. Will you wait until then?"

There's a silence before Fong sighs. "I will. For you. You're worth it, Ozora."

Tsuna bits his lower lip, his flames are gone now that most of the fight has left him. "Tsuna. My real name is Tsunayoshi. I can't give you my last name, but… yeah. Call me Tsuna."

Tsuna right now doesn't care about what happens to the future. His friends know how to keep secrets hidden and he trusts them with his name,

"Thanks for telling me, Tsuna. I'll do my best to come as quickly as—"

A silence passes. "Fong?"

He hears some rustling, some kind of fight going on, and a frantic, "open your mouth now!" coming from Fong, a tone he's never heard before from him.

"Fong? Fong, are you okay?!"

"Yes, yes, I am. It's just. She has eaten it."

What.

He then repeats it out loud for clarification: "What?"

"The daughter of the leader of the Snow monkeys here has eaten the sphere you gave me and—"

"Fong?"

"Light is obscuring my view of her. I think something is happening to her. I'm sorry, Ozo—Tsuna. I think I need to leave. The light is not gone and she's growing smaller."

"Oh! Oh. I think I know what's happening to her."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I think she's turning into your familiar. I haven't thought those orbs would work like that, but now I can't believe how I haven't thought about it!"

A deep breath. "Will she be okay?"

"She should be. She will turn smaller and stronger, probably gain some kind of power, too."

"The light is gone," he answers after a while. "She's unconscious. And smaller. I'll call you later, I'll take her to a veterinarian first."

"Okay, you do that."

"I hope we will see soon. Take care, Tsuna."

Tsuna swallows. In spite of all the guilt he feels at the moment, knowing Fong is not that mad at him warms his heart and flames. "You too, Fong," he murmurs in the hopes Renato can't hear. "You're a dear friend, after all."

He can feel Fong's smile at the other end of the phone.

Then the call ends and he's left staring at the big phone.

"I'm not so infatuated like your other suitor, you know. I'm still mad at you."

Tsuna sighs. "I know."

He turns around and sees his friend with his arms crossed and a scowl marring his features.

"I'm sorry."

"You can apologize when you explain to me why you are going to leave. And where. If you think I won't follow you, you're sorely mistaken. I already decided you'll be my Sky."

He takes a step back, surprised. "What?"

"By what you've said, one can easily deduce you're planning to leave to some faraway place most can't follow and this deal you've with your Lightning is made with it in the middle. So, when do you plan to leave?"

"I don't plan to leave. Not anymore." He huffs. "I want to tell you all about it, but I need to talk with some people to know how much I can reveal without causing any damage."

Renato nods. "I'll wait then."

He blinks in surprise. "You will?"

He's actually surprised the hitman is not putting any more fuss about it. He can be really stubborn on a good day, after all.

"You're worth the wait, Tsunayoshi," he says with a shrug and an easy tone. And Tsuna can't help but look away, towards the window of the living room. It still shows him the familiar stranger he saw before, still with the same soft looks and brown-orange eyes. But unlike yesterday, he notices other things besides his taller frame.

He's standing straight, not hunched like used to do before meeting Reborn. There's a quiet confidence about him, a determination in his orange eyes that weren't flashing before.

He still doesn't recognize him, but he can see himself liking this stranger, this grown-up version of himself. The one that has earned him the respect of others and the friendship of more. This is what they see when they talk to him, what they think it's worth.

The question is if he can live with expectation.

His flames flare in a silent roar, a silent 'yes'.