Some time had passed since Natsumi left Tsuna to himself. A hushed breeze swept into the room. Gliding over the soft bed and filling the room with its warmth. Outside, Tsuna brushed off his palms on his shorts then wandered into town. He followed along the ocean side, searching for the path Natsumi led him on and using it to navigate his way back to it when he made a wrong turn. “The sun just set and there aren’t that many people out. Where’d they all go?” Then he heard the clatter of mugs from the buildings ahead, followed by hearty cheers and shanty singing. It was clear that the less entertainment based shops were closing up. Contractors and shipwrights. While the bars and restaurants were booming with crowds. None of it differed from what he’d experienced. “Sounds like one of those high school parties.” Sliding his hand into his pocket and swaying it, he pulled out a journal with a silver pen tucked into its pages. The ink displayed in a small sliver on its side, reading half full. “Natsumi is very clingy, and quick to emotion. A lack of nurturing at a premature age may be what causes her to attach to people she likes as quickly as she does. Her affection concerns, but it’s practically like a mother cat taking on a stray. Note to self: Do not dismiss the fact that it could be a trick.”

A flicker of light exposed before him, promptly fading to dark before flaring up again after the sound of a clang. This is it. I’m really in one of those fantasy worlds. The light sparked from a hammer striking an anvil, while a stout man swung the hammer onto an anvil with a force that appeared effortless. With each flash, the shop’s contents blinked into sight. Weapons lined along the upper walls and on the lower wall were what Tsuna recognized as an opportunity. Tools!

Street Lights flashed on while the signs of buildings shut off. A press of the journal into his pocket and Tsuna vanished before the lights could touch him. Now he crept into the shadows like a predator, closing in on the blacksmith. Part of him felt guilty that what he was doing still came instinctively to him. The hesitation between his steps being the most telling sign. I made a promise I have to see through. He rationalized. It’s not like I have money, anyway. What if I brought the tools back to the guy when they’re done? I’d get scolded, then beat… The closer he slithered, the more he could see inside. The man was alone. There was a sack lying roughly flat in the building's corner. Perhaps with an item inside of it. All he required was a diversion. His kid calling him inside for supper. His wife berating him about him cheating with a bartender down the street. Man, I’ve read a lot of trash. Deception was always a choice, still he knew that his sleight of hand wouldn’t be keen enough to remove the tools and toss them into a bag without a noise. Or he could easily ask the man to borrow the tools. Thinking his current bum appearance may work in his favor… or to his detriment. Why would someone like him need tools?

The smith dropped his hammer, wiping off his face with his oily glove. “Damn, I shouldn’t have done that. Where’s that cloth?”

The man turned back inside his dark shop, flipping on a light before stepping into the door near the sack. Tsuna’s legs advanced before he realized it. Quickly analyzing the streets for any commoners while he flew into the shop. He flung the sack into his left hand, hearing a suppressed clink as the bag swayed. There was no time to think about it as he plucked tools on the wall like apples from a tree. Hammers, screwdrivers, nails. His breaths matched his speed, accelerating to the point he’d cleaned a fourth of the tools on the wall. He snagged whatever he could until.

“Thief!”

The brimming confidence he had sunk, leaving the rest of his body cold as he intuitively twisted around.

“You Minhki bastard!” His bellowing voice loud enough to alert anyone in the area. Immediately snatching a short sword from the wall, he took a swing at Tsuna.

Frozen, Tsuna watched the blade as it came to the level of his eyes. An ominous warmth wrapped around his torso, drawing him back just in time to avert being cut in the eye, but not fast enough to save his cheek. The boiling blood leaked from his skin, restoring the heat to his body and his senses. A pivot on Tsuna’s foot gave the attacker the impression he was about to make a run for it. Exactly what he wanted. The blacksmith dashed closer as Tsuna charged a swing of the sack, hitting the man into his anvil with the sack of tools. “Chump!” The words slipped out of his mouth. Tsuna took to the street, a small ground formed to block his path. Another twirl and he tossed the bag into them, knocking a man over and recovering it as he kept running.

“Stop that Minhki!”

“Thief!”

The chanting from the crowd captured the attention of townsfolk inside of the buildings, some now chasing after him as well. Despite bearing what he thought would be a substantial sack of tools, Tsuna’s endurance continued unshaken. His speed was like what he could remember from his childhood, paired along with the adrenaline rush of being chased. The gem was the sole thing that could justify it, considering he hadn’t trained in over a year. But what stuck out more than the rest was that his heart wasn’t burning. How am I going to get away?! The reality came back. He was still being hounded by the townspeople through the night. Turning an alley wouldn’t simply get him away and abandoning the tools would make this a complete fool’s errand. Ahead, the blinding lights of the next part of the town burned his eyes. There’s an idea. Establishing a distance from the crowd, he promptly stopped to tie a knot on the top of the sack, then ran again. The pattering of the crowd was on his heels, as he was certain they would grab him if he stopped again. “Cmon! You haven’t failed me yet!” Spinning several times, he launched the sack into the garish lights and turned towards the crowd. The blacksmith himself was still on his tail, arms wide to apprehend him. Tsuna drew his fists back, then thrust them forward with a shout. His attack impacted the man’s chest and, after a delay, two flames blasted him back into the crowd with a domino effect. One falling over the next. Tsuna himself flew backward, passing between the men and women in the streets. The sack had already hit the ground, a man approaching it until Tsuna seized his prize and scampered into the light.

***

Circumventing any open street, Tsuna retraced the steps he and Natsumi took earlier. First, turning up on the dead end of town, then back to where the Minhki lived. A barely lit sign that read “Titania’s” but with the few letters that were lit, spelling “Tit” made Tsuna chuckle. Through its windows, he could see a familiar face on the inside quarreling with one of the other employees. Their tails raised up, both on the verge of attacking one another until Tsuna pushed the door.

“Who the hell are you?” The employee screamed.

Kiyomi strode into her point of view, preventing the woman from speaking to Tsuna. “Doesn’t matter who he is. You don’t work here anymore, remember?”

“You can’t just fire half the staff and expect anything to get done! This place will crumble in weeks with no one to cook, clean, or do dishes! Enough with the hate and just mingle with the Hummies, we’d all be better off.”

"Why are you still talking to me like I care? What don’t you realize by you being fired? Your opinion means shit to me! Get out!”

“You’re making a serious mistake, Kiyomi! This is why no one wants to eat here!”

“Out!”

With no further word, several Minhki headed towards the exit. Tsuna strolled past them, giving them enough space to leave without bumping into the sack he carried. Kiyomi fell into one of the rickety chairs, squealing as she leaned back. “Everything alright?”

“Hell no.” Kiyomi giggled. “It’s about time I got those useless bitches out of here. Think they can just come in here and do anything for some easy money, then take their profits and invest it on junk in the human end of town. Wish I could just go to The Crossing, then I could make a difference for us.” She let go a lengthy sigh. “But I’m no fighter.”

Her remark about The Crossing shook Tsuna as sat the bag down, then seated himself next to her. “What’s the matter with that? They earned the money, right? Who’s to say where they spend it?”

“The problem is much vaster than that. The rich will get richer, polishing what needn’t be polished already. While our community’s left to starve and fend for ourselves, taking the little Drax that we have and fattening the coins of those who need it less. The fools. We should work to get to where we don’t need to rely on any other to survive. Humans or Tribes.” With a sigh, her tail furled into a ball, then stretched out to her side.

The stress of her position struck a chord with Tsuna. In a way where it almost felt relatable. He needed to know more. “Is this… A common thing for Minhki everywhere? This rings like an ‘us versus them’ kind of dispute and it doesn’t have to be.”

“Yes, it fucking does!” The lashing snap of her tone made Tsuna’s eyebrows jump. “Because you people choose to beat down on us for shit that our ancestors did. What have I ever done, but grow up hungry? Make ends meet while getting rejected because of the black spot on my nose, my tail, or my ears. All shit I had no choice in! Even if I were more fortunate, I could never judge someone who’s trying to make something out of their miserable excuse of a life.” Snot rolled from her nose, all the while she checked her apron for napkins. Resorting to using her forearm. “What makes us different from you besides what you see on the outside?”

Tsuna bit his lip. An emotion he knew too well rose to his throat. Anger. Ready to scream back at how much he knew how it felt. But this wasn’t about him. “Nothing at all.” He untangled the sack of tools, leaving it open enough to display the contents inside. “I made you a promise and in exchange, I want you to make me one.” Light gleamed in her sharp eyes as if it had restored her to life. A face full of shock and confusion stared at him, an expression that almost brought a smile to his face. “Make this place something that the people have never seen. Whether it’s to Humans, Elves, or Minhki, turn this community into a glaring example of what one can become when given the opportunity. Give those girls a reason to come back and don’t hold it against them. Be better than them.”

Kiyomi scoured through the bag, her smile growing fuller with the deeper she went. She paused, forcing eye contact with Tsuna. “Who are you?”

“Tsuna Tachibana. That’s all you need to know.” He rose from his seat and made his way towards the exit. “Oh, by the way! For me to get those… they might have assumed I was a Minhki. I would recommend lying low with those before making any improvements.” Geez, If I was hearing this from someone I’d think I’m corny as hell. But I hope I just made her day.

“Wait!” Kiyomi’s voice called out, halting Tsuna. “I’m in awe that you came through so quickly. You kept your word and risked yourself for us. People you don’t even know. At least let me compensate you somehow.”

Confidence bolstered in Tsuna’s chest. Despite what he thought, he kept up his heroic facade. “I remember what you offered before, and I don’t want it. Just take the stuff as a sign of goodwill. From a Human.”

“You really are extraordinary. Here, take these then.” From the bottom of the sack, she exposed a pair of metal gauntlets. “I don’t think we’ll have any use for these, so they’re yours to take.” She extended her arm out and gave them to Tsuna when he walked back. “I’ll keep this a secret until the Humans simmer down about a robbery. Knowing them, they won’t search our side for too long before they get sick of the smell. While you’re in town, come back for a free meal. I’d love to see your face again.”

Tsuna strode out of the building, waving his free hand at her until he stepped outside. A sigh deflated his chest. Never in a million years did I think that I’d be praised for stealing. But if I didn’t, someone else would have. Better me than them. He held the gauntlets before his eyes. “When did these get in there?” They weren’t like any gauntlets he’d seen in visual novels or anime, as someone did not craft them for protection. There wasn’t much plating on the exterior, leaving plenty of space for full wrist movement. It occurred to him that perhaps they were incomplete, which is why they were tossed into a sack. Soon after, an idea came to him. I’m not tired just yet. While he slipped each gauntlet on his hands, a presence over his shoulder made him tighten up as he jerk to his side. A passing visage of a man draped in a flowing robe crossed his vision. The mans crimson eyes stared at him. Tsuna’s body went at ease. “You can show up outside my head too? I don’t think I need you to ruin the rest of my night.”

“What side schemes you partake in is of no interest to me. I worry about your development and your preparation for the battle to come.” Infernus crossed his arms. “No matter if you run or if you fight, so long as you live, the war will wage.”

“I’m not interested in taking part in your damned war! If you don’t like that, find someone else to hide out in!” In the corner of his eye, lights flickered on from nearby buildings and Minhki outside stared at him unusually. Tsuna started striding as Infernus tailed him.

“You don’t have to speak out loud to talk to me. Put your emotions aside and face my son in his dispute if you want to save the people you love.”

He had Tsuna’s furious but undivided attention. “Been digging around enough, have you?”

“The woman, Emiko, the father figure, Amagi, the swordsman, Yuichi. That list is surprisingly small compared to the average man, but is more understandable why your bonds with these people would be so close. From what your memories have taught me, you were far more the aggressor in the past than you are now. Your inner turmoil is a machination of your own creation. The reason you were hated and feared was because of you. A shame, as you would comprehend my ether quickly if that were still the case.”

“And that will never be the case again. I’ve grown, kept the peace around me to make life better for those people.”

“While you dawdle trying to keep the surrounding peace, there’s no one who will keep the peace within. You’ve hardly grown, just become passive and tolerant to the masters and their whips.”

The reality of what Infernus was saying came to light. Had he just been tolerant? Is this what growing up meant? In his heart, he knew he wanted to be free of everyone’s thoughts and opinions. To disappear. That thought hadn’t arisen in him for years past, but now resurfaced with the dragon’s words. A glance at Infernus’ face and it was as stern as always. His aim was unclear.

“However, Tachibana, I have limited time in this form, as pulling your conscious would take too much energy. I can feel your ether draining by the moment, so I will waste no more of our time.”

“Did it cross your mind that it could just be me trying to get rid of you?” The insult bounced off of him as he continued to speak.

“Since my binding to you, my power has been severely limited. I am only led to assume this because I no longer have either a physical or ethereal form. I felt shifts and changes in the flow of ether through you and a substantial change has happened within this region over several hours. A shift so great that I can only assume my son caused it.”

“Changes? What changes?”

“It is like a wildfire, loose and untamed, spreading to this location. The rampant ether shrouds him, giving him the element of surprise. This brings attention to my fading ether. Something is leeching it from me. Meaning I will be of no use to you for tracking him.”

Tsuna’s gaze immediately fell to the gem in his hand, then peered Infernus in the eye. “Will you cease to exist when your ether runs out?”

“I live through you. As long as you live, I will as well. However, my time to recover will extend with every attempt at communication between us. Because of this, you cannot rely on me to find my son when he arrives. You will need to remain vigilant at the hour of his arrival.”

“Is that so?” Tsuna muttered to himself. A fury built up in his chest, one that sparked from fear. His very life could end before his journey began. In frustration, he cocked his fist back, about to slam it into a wall before he reconsidered and targeted the ground instead. Bewildered, he noticed something different. No fire? Without hesitation, he removed the gauntlet from his fist and aimed for the same spot with another punch. His rough knuckles cracked pavement, fire encircling his fist before shooting a blast that flipped him into the air. Gravity dropped him on his head, then onto his back. The excitement that pumped through his veins overtook the pain in his skull. “That’s all it took!? Gloves?! It can’t be that simple.” Infernus stood over him, blocking the full moon that lingered above.

“This may be the last time we may speak. If you die. Overcome this challenge as you have in your past, for the people you care for rely on it.”