Chapter 57

'She looks like Yuni,' is the first thing that passes through his mind, along with a memory of his friends. It tugs at his heartstrings like a violin, making a long, sad note. It's a simple thought but one that hammers down how much he still misses his time, his friends, and his family. Even after more than a year, he still feels like the boy who had appeared from thin air in a strange city. Lonely, away from the hard-won friends he made; and lost, without knowledge of how to accomplish his goal.

She's a reminder. And going on by the sad smile she now wears, she knows it too.

He swallows, feeling raw and exposed all of sudden, and bows his head slightly, the bare minimum Daemon will let him. "Luce-san."

Luce returns the action, going so far as to extend her hand for him to kiss it. Her fingers are strangely bare as he makes a token to kiss those slender digits, pressing the lower part of his mask against them. Then he lets go and looks at her blue, too ancient eyes.

"Perhaps you can join me in a dance?" she asks lightly as if her mere presence doesn't hurt him.

Tsuna doesn't care if he's being rude, he glances back at Daemon, whose white mask shines with the lights from above. Daemon answers by tilting his head, the bastard. Tsuna then turns to Reborn, whose face seems to be set in stone for how blank it is. He still offers a smile when he notices him looking, not more than a soft twist of lips that still manages to convey his support to him.

Daemon claps once, looking at everyone in a very dramatic fashion, making the movements of his hands look graceful. "It seems this meeting must be cut short. Dear Maria Fernanda, it was a pleasure to meet you, but we should go."

With those words and a nod in her direction, he disappears from their sight. Thanks to his Hyper Intuition, Tsuna can still feel him close.

"He likes to be mysterious," Tsuna grumbles as a way of explanation. He then turns to Luce, wanting to duck his head in embarrassment for making her wait. A single invisible finger under his chin stops him before he can, though.

Right. What's important here is that he's a Sky. He can't show weakness, not even—especially—to another Sky.

"Let's go dance," he says, extending his palm towards Luce like Daemon showed him how to do while he inwardly panics. Surprisingly, Tsuna knows how to dance. Or at least he knows how to move at the sound of music. Taking into account his clumsiness, he does it well enough. Or that's what Daemon says, anyways. The thing is. He doesn't know any dances of the current time.

As he walks with Luce to the dance floor, he thinks of the two times he tried dancing with Daemon inside his given room to practice. He discovered he's able to follow the pace thanks to his intuition, but only if someone else is the one leading. Trying to lead it will end in stepped toes, sadly.

He's screwed.

"You will do fine," Luce murmurs as they finally find a spot. Tsuna wants to call her on her bullshit but at that moment he feels a familiar presence gently pushing inside him, taking a hold of his limbs. It's strong but not overpowering, slow and coaxing, letting him know he can easily brush it off whenever he wants.

It's Daemon.

"Interesting. I knew you would be able to dance but not how. I can't see your Mist friend nor I've heard of him. Odd considering how powerful he seems to be. Or maybe not odd; he seems to be powerful enough to hide from me."

"He's a private person," he tries weakly. He receives an amused smile.

"I can't see you either. But you aren't hiding, are you?"

"You too?" Tsuna asks as his hand moves out of his control to gracefully join with Luce's. They start dancing, something soft and calming that maybe in another time when his body is not being used as a puppet, he would have enjoyed it. Not today though.

"Mafer can't then. It's unsurprising as I've only known of your presence thanks to the changes you've brought."

Tsuna hums, momentarily distracted by the flawless twirl he made. "Kawahira-san hasn't said anything?"

"He did but only after I asked him."

That does get his attention. "You know where he is?"

"I don't know his location but I know how to contact him."

"Can you tell me how?"

She looks at him in the eye, her gaze soft like her granddaughter's, so vast and deep, but without the innocence Yuni holds. The gems of her simple cream mask twinkle, in contrast, making her look ethereal for a long second.

"He told me if you really wanted to talk to him I could call him but only if you were ready to accept the truth. Are you?"

Tsuna thinks back to the words he exchanged with Daemon, how he compared Kawahira like the dealer of a game of poker, holding all the cards. How he thought Tsuna would be able to tell every one of the secrets he's hiding with his Hyper Intuition helping him.

... Is he ready to know?

No, he doesn't think so. The mere thought brings a special kind of fear in him.

But it doesn't matter. What he wants doesn't matter.

With his eyes glinting orange, Tsuna meets her gaze and nods. "I need to talk to him."

She smiles a sad smile. "She's right, you know." Before Tsuna can ask whom, she answers his silent question, "Mafer. She's right. If you change the future too much, other universes will collapse."

Tsuna's lips form a thin line. Not that she can see it. "I have to try."

"She has a responsibility to those worlds. She'll try to stop you."

"She can try."