Ten Flames

Chapter 6: A Breakfast, A Burst of Emotion, And A Small New Sky

*knock* *knock*

"OI FREAKING BRAT GET UP OR I'M BREAKING THE FREAKIN DOOR DOWN!"

Tsuna immediately jolted up from his very rude, very loud awakening. Drowsily he rubbed his lidded eyes as he realised he was surrounded by Talbot's messily written notes. He was usually an early riser but the child had been immersed and mesmerised with the many theories and histories revolving around the curse, it seemed so fantastical, so magical that the young child's mind practically went into an imaginative overdrive. The brunette had easily managed to connect dots to the fact that Bermuda was one of the current Cursed Ones thanks to the man's strange appearance and Pacifier though he still didn't for the life of him understand what role the other Vindice played giving him an irritating itch at the back of his mind when he finally drifted off to sleep.

Quickly he jumped from his bed, hastily collecting the scattered pages and carefully stuffing them in his bag along with his own crystal pacifier. Something inside him was warning him against revealing this secret to the others... At least not right now.

He packed it at the bottom of the bag just in time as Jack burst open quite rudely and strode into the room.

Jack couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the startled child before him. Tsuna's hair was even messier than before as it stuck up well- everywhere and the kid was wearing orange and white striped pajamas which were a little too over sized for such a small figure. What really sealed the deal was the wide-eyed deer in the headlights expression like the brunette was just caught doing something bad. "Tch kid if you wanna survive this place ya gotta stop looking so damn... Transparent."

That seemed to snap the brunette out of whatever self induced coma he was in however as the child seem to once again stare at the taller man something seemed amiss. His eyes no longer reflected guilt but a mix of what seemed to be confusion, intrigue and fear.

"...Jack-san?"

When Tsuna snapped out of his stunned self he realized that the person - or what remained of a person - before him sounded very familiar to Jack. However instead of the usual full on bandages, long black cloak and top hat the individual in front of him had loosely wrapped bandages that exposing charred darkened skin, stitched up flesh and jet black eyes. The man was wearing black jeans and a slightly ripped leather jacket revealing a stone shaped pacifier that hung from his neck, he also had a very long silver chain wrapped around his torso. His hair was messy and coarse with faded red streaks that suggested he used to have a dark red pigment in his locks a long, long time ago.

"...Jack-san?"

The Vindice guard was confused at the question for a second. "HaA~AaahH? of course it's freaking me! Why on earth would yo-" He stopped himself as he realised he wasn't wearing his usual uniform. 'Well shit.' It had been his day off and through sheer habit he had dressed casually instead of opting for his stuffy outfit. After all it wasn't like there were outsiders to judge him. Oh. Wait.

Scowling at the still wide-eyed kid he shifted uncomfortably under the surprisingly intense gaze. He as well as every other Vindice were very self conscious with their appearance; it was not only aesthetically unpleasant and downright horrifying to look at but it was a reminder of their burdens, their curse, their death. But now since the kid saw his true form he was going to be forced to hear the child scream bloody murder and cower in fear every time they meet constantly reminding him of the undead monster he was. Not that he would blame him- Jack remembered revisiting his long time lover hoping she would still accept who he was , only to be cruelly rejected through a series of terrified screams and wails. 'Great. And I was just starting to not hate the freaking brat too.'

Inwardly Jack cringed getting ready for the high-pitched sound only dolphins and frightened children could make. He waited. And waited. After about thirty seconds the Vindice guard was getting a little impatient- maybe the kid's the type to be scared into silence?