The Azure Sky

Chapter 40: Cleansing

"Tsuna-Sensei?"
The said brunet smiled as he sat in the middle of the Yamamoto Dojo.
"Ohaiyo~Takeshi-kun~!"
The ravenet rubbed a hazel eye, not really believing what he was seeing.
"Tsuna-Sensei...it's barely 5 AM in the morning!  What are you doing here?"
The brunet ignored the question and studied Takeshi; the ex-Decimo's smile dropped.
"What are you doing up, Takeshi-kun?"
Tsuna saw how Takeshi's shoulders tensed up slightly; the ravenet laughed nervously.
"Ah...I was going to train..."
The brunet stood up from his kneeling position and walked over to the ravenet, tilting his head.
"...Takeshi-kun is very strong already."
The baseball-lover blinked in surprise.
"E-Eh?"
Tsuna smiled brightly.
"If you think that you've been putting your family down, then I will literally beat that sh***y thought out of your mind."
And Tsuna said this with an even brighter smile, including some sparkles; Takeshi shivered violently and sweatdropped.
"B-But--!"
Bonk!
Takeshi rubbed his head, looking at Tsuna with wide eyes; the brunet sighed before placing a hand gently onto the teen's hair.
"Takeshi."
The ravenet couldn't help but notice how frail, tired, and worried the brunet looked; there was nostalgia deep within sunset-orange orbs.
Tsuna smiled warmly.
"I like it better when you smile when you fight, ya' know?"
Takeshi froze and widened his eyes further.
Tsuna ruffled the other's hair before walking past the teen.
Takeshi snapped out of his stupor and turned around.
"Tsuna-Sens--!"
The brunet was already gone.
A gentle breeze blew by as Takeshi's hazel eyes simply stared at the empty garden.
"Yamamoto, kora!"
Takeshi slowly turned his gaze to look at a certain blonde baby; Colonello raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong, kora?" 'Is the kid still thinking that he's being deadweight, kora?'
Slowly, a soft and gentle smile spread across Takeshi's face; Colonello blinked in surprise.
'His smile's not strained anymore, kora...'
Takeshi laced his fingers behind his head and watched the sky slowly start to brighten up; he chuckled softly.
"It's nothing, Colonello-san.  When do you want to start training?"
~~
<<(Namimori Shrine)>>
Tsuna sat by Asari and closed his eyes contently at the calming tune the flute-player made.
The brunet opened his eyes when he sensed that Takeshi and the others were almost there.
"I'll be hiding in the trees for now."
Ugetsu merely smiled and watched the ex-Decimo disappear.
(O.D.D.- I hope it's alright for me to switch names like Viper and Mammon σ(^_^; ))
The flute-player sighed softly before smiling as he appeared before Hito and the rest of the group.
'Thank you for helping Takeshi-kun, Tsunayoshi-kun...'
Asari grinned.
"Are you ready, Yamamoto Takeshi?"
The said ravenet stepped forward and wore a similar, bright grin on his face.
"Hai~!  What do you want me to do?"
Ugetsu smiled.
'At least he's not asking for a fight.....hm~I'll just give him one.' "I want to fight you."
Takeshi blinked in slight surprise before nodding, grinning brightly.
"Hai!"
But before the ravenet could step closer, he seemed to have remembered something and walked back to the group, grinning widely.
"Let's do the circle!"
Hito started flailing slightly as Hayato scowled.
Tsuna chuckled as he watched from his spot in the trees; the small group formed a circle.
"Yamamoto-kun/Baseball-idiot, fight!"
Takeshi smiled and finally walked towards Ugetsu.
"Yosh!  I feel energized now!"
Asari chuckled and pulled his weapons out; Takeshi drew his katana out of its sheath.
"Let's begin."
"Hai!"
In a blur of blue, Takeshi moved first.
Tsuna chuckled when they clashed.
'They're smiling...'
Ugetsu was the first to break off, bringing his three, short swords closer to his chest.
The flute-player flicked his wrist.
"Hisame!" (Frozen Rain!)
Takeshi blinked in slight surprise as ice shards darted towards him.
The baseball-lover crouched down slightly and coated his sword with Rain flames.
"Shigure Soen Ryuu, 2nd Defensive Form: Sakamaku Ame!" (Rolling Rain!)
Takeshi brought up a wall of Rain flames, quickly defending the attack.
Asari smiled before landing onto the ground, bringing his longer sword in front of himself.
"Taki no Mai." (Torrential Dance.)
The wind kicked up slightly as a small twister of Rain flame-blades appeared; Takeshi grinned as he angled his sword above his head.
"Shigure Soen Ryuu, 7th Defensive Form: Shibuki Ame." (Splashing Rain.)
The two attacks quickly nullified each other.
Takeshi then had a thoughtful look flit over his face for a millisecond before grinning.
The ravenet then went into a unfamiliar stance--although Tsuna and Ugetsu recognized it; the brunet chuckled.
'Already trying out that move?'
Asari smiled.
'Looks like Tsunayoshi-kun taught his own move to Takeshi-kun...'
In Tsuna's original world, Takeshi taught Tsuna the Shigure Soen Ryuu Style; the brunet was able to create his own move.
Takeshi sighed softly as his eyes glowed blue for a brief second; the ravenet drew his katana in an arch.
"Shigure Soen Ryuu, 14th Offensive Form:..."
Takeshi closed his eyes, taking another soft breath, before opening them.
"...Delle Piogge Cielo." (Rainy Sky.)
The air became thick as if they were in the water; Asari quickly lifted his head, knowing where the attack was coming from.
But...the Primo Rain Guardian was already caught.
Asari chuckled as he noted his slower movements before he stopped moving altogether.
Small 'rain drops' of blue flames fell from the sky, landing on everything in the area.
Takeshi walked up to Asari and placed his blade at the other's neck.
"I win~!"
Asari studied the ravenet, smile dropping.
"You'll have to deliver an actual final blow."
Takeshi frowned at that and dropped his katana to his side before tapping it onto his shoulder.
"Then I don't deserve your inheritance." The ravenet grinned. "I rather defeat you without grievously hurting you, ya' know!"
Silence fell onto the clearing before Ugetsu broke it with a chuckle.
The affects of the earlier attack seared off and Asari could move again; the flute-player smiled brightly at Takeshi.
"Yamamoto Takeshi...you pass my test."
The ravenet blinked in surprise.
"Eh?"
Ugetsu grinned , putting his weapons away.
"You pass, Yamamoto Takeshi."
It took a while to process the words before a wide grin nearly split his face; Takeshi laughed with joy.
"Uwaah~!  Honto deska!?" (For real!?)
Asari chuckled at the other's exuberance.
"Hai~please hold out your box weapon."
"Ah!  Hai, hai."
Takeshi rummaged through his pocket and brought a blue box out.
Ugetsu smiled one last time before letting Rain flames engulf him; a bit of the blue flames broke off and entered the small box.  Asari disappeared completely.
Takeshi grinned and walked over to Hito and Hayato, waving the box around while grinning brightly.
Above them, Asari sat right next to Tsuna on the shrine building; G and Giotto also appeared.
"Hwaah~that turned out well." Ugetsu's eyes grew sorrowful. "He reminds me so much of the other Takeshi-kun...."
G sighed softly as Giotto watched them exit the grounds.
Tsuna chuckled sadly.
"Hm...Takeshi-kun will always stay the same--no matter what world he's in, neh?"