[Fic] Ghostly Interference
Title: Ghostly Interference
Pairing: None
Genre: Humor, Family
Warnings: none
Rating: K
Summary: In which Giotto is to blame for little Tsuna's unconventional first word.
Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or its characters.
~X~
When Tsunayoshi entered the world, he was undeniably the pride and joy of the Sawada couple. Nana constantly cooed and fussed over the little infant while Iemitsu proudly stood by her side with a huge grin on his face.
Their good friend, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, and his wife closed their sushi shop for the day to come congratulate the new parents - going so far as to sneak in some sushi along with their little six month old son. Even the Ninth and a few CEDEF members briefly appeared to get a peek at the new member of the Sawada family.
Through it all, no one noticed the shadowed figure standing in the corner of the hospital room, taking in the festive air with a soft smile and warm sunset-colored eyes.
~X~
Giotto couldn't take his eyes off of his newest descendant. Even after four hundred years, from a Mafia Boss to the wandering ghost he was now, he still couldn't quite wrap his mind around the creation of a new life.
Oh sure, he knew the mechanics of it. The whole man and a woman love each other and XXX happens and eggs get fertilized and all that and BAM, his wife informs him she's pregnant and proceeds to have terrifying mood swings that often end with him hiding in the corner of their shared closet in fear of her throwing the expensive kitchen knife set at him again.
But traumatizing past experiences aside, Giotto couldn't help but feel indescribable awe when staring down at a newborn infant. This tight feeling in his chest as he looked down at Tsunayoshi was reminiscent of how he felt hundreds of years ago when he gently cradled his own newborn son for the first time.
It amazed him that this little pink, wrinkly, innocent child had the potential to grow up into a magnificent leader.
Giotto may not have the ability to see into the future, but his hyper-intuition told him this child would be great one day. Whether Tsunayoshi would use that potential to protect his precious people or to harm others…
He held his gloved hand over the infant's head. "You will be strong one day, and I can only pray that you will grow up to have a welcoming heart to balance that strength. Will you have the resolve to become the Sky that embraces all?"
As he asked that, a small orange flame flickered to life on the infant's forehead.
Startled, Giotto jerked his hand away with wide eyes, afraid he had accidentally harmed the child. The tiny flame wavered a little at the sudden movement but continued to burn.
The First Vongola Boss breathed a soft sigh of relief as he studied the flame. The orange flame was somewhat dull, nowhere near the purity of Giotto's flames, but that was to be expected. Flame purity came from the strength of one's resolve.
But for Tsunayoshi's untested flame to react to his so soon after being born…
Giotto laughed in wonderment before leaning down to leave a ghostly kiss on the infant's forehead, directly over the small orange flame. He whispered a promise, an oath between two Skies. "Little one, no matter what happens or who you become, I will be here to watch over you."
With that, he stood straight again and faded away. Tsuna's flame flickered in response and vanished as well.
Not five seconds later, Iemitsu peeked into the room to check on his sleeping wife and son. Satisfied that all was well, he gently closed the door behind him.
~X~
For some reason, Tsuna could see Giotto.
The blond didn't know how or why, but the facts remained. Tsuna was able to see him.
Giotto had waved it off at first, thinking Tsuna's still developing intuition might have been picking up a few traces of his spiritual presence or something to that effect. But as the months passed, Giotto noticed the way Tsuna's eyes actually focused on him and not just his general area. If he waved his hand, Tsuna's head or eyes would follow the movement without fail. When he talked, Tsuna would pay attention. And when he reached out to poke Tsuna's hand one day, Giotto discovered that Tsuna could be worse than a leech once the baby latched onto his finger.
But through the horror of trying to pry off the surprisingly tight grip, an idea began forming in the blonde's head.
Giotto smirked mischievously down at his descendant.
~X~
Nana could barely hold back her squeals. Next to her and just as excited, Iemitsu devotedly snapped photo after photo of their son.
Tsuna grinned happily up at the trio surrounding him and tried to form syllables. "K-Ke…"
On Nana's other side, unknown to the adults, Giotto repeated the word he wanted Tsuna to say.
"…Ka…"
This time, Nana did squeal. "Did you hear him, dear? Come on, Tsu-kun, say kaa-chan!"
The camera flashed another five times.
Giotto ignored the parents and tried to coax Tsuna into saying the correct syllables.
"Ku…ra…"
The blond ghost nodded enthusiastically. "That's right, keep going. You've almost got it!"
Tsuna giggled at the adults' reactions and screamed, "Kuramu!"
Nana stopped and blinked. She turned to her shell-shocked husband. "Dear, did Tsu-kun just say clam?"
Iemitsu nodded in a rather dazed manner.
"Oh." Shrugging off the weirdness of the situation, Nana cooed at her happy son. "Does Tsu-kun want clams for dinner?" Oblivious to anything else, she began planning her trip to the market.
Iemitsu barely noticed Nana leaving the room. He didn't know where his son learned that word, but…but…surely, this was a sign. No. This had to be a sign.
Looking down at his son, Iemitsu pointed at the confused boy. "Son, I've decided! When you grow up, you'll take my place as the leader of CEDEF. So, you better grow up to be strong!" He flexed his arm and patted the hard muscle. "Just like your Papa! Is it a deal?"
Tsuna had no idea what his father was talking about, but he followed the example and tried to flex his arm, too.
Iemitsu nodded sharply, his eyes suspiciously misty. "That's my boy!"
The CEDEF leader remembered about the camera still in his hand. More pictures meant more bragging rights. That in mind, he used up another roll of film. After all, he could never have enough pictures of Tsuna.
On the other side of the room, Giotto was busy making a spectacle of himself. His hard work for the past few months had finally paid off. Had any of his Guardians been around to see him now, they would probably faint from the shock of seeing their beloved Boss jumping around and cheering at the top of his lungs.
"Ha! Beat that, Secondo! My descendant's first word is clam!"
Later, Giotto would thank the Tri-ni-set that the first Guardians were elsewhere.
But for now, he grinned down at Tsuna. "Alright, what word should we try next?"