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shallow steel ch 1
He is dying.
Swelling, stretching, he touches all that he can- muddied waters, slopping sand, rocks that glisten. It is not as much as he could touch, once. Now, he is weaker. Now, he is helpless. It should frighten him, perhaps, staring up towards the cloudless sky that is far too intense a blue. Maybe he should struggle, or cry for help, or anything but lay there.
He doesn't.
Instead, he pulls back into himself, content. He is dying, and is that so bad, really? If he is dying, that means there is no more use for him, and he is an empty existence if he cannot do the most basic things which have been asked of him. So long as he is not burdened by fear, then this is not the worst ending he could have asked for. This much, surely, is fine. Still, staring up at the sky, he can't help regret but only a little.
If only he could have been of more use to them. If only he could be wanted more.
"The lake is dying," Dino explains, gesturing out to the small village constructed not too far from its shores.
Well, that sure is something to say. Frowning, Tsuna steps around the settlement. There are a lot of them that he's seen in the world now, and they tend to all be pretty similar, although he has to admit that humans always manage to find their own spin on things. Carefully slanted roofs so that the inevitable rain doesn't build up on top, and built a decent ways from the local lake or river for, again, the build up that rains can bring....
Only this looks a lot further from the lake than most water settlements tend to be.
"I didn't know, uh, dying was a thing that bodies of water could do?" he offers cautiously, glancing over the severe distance between buildings and water. Nearby, Dino gives a slight huff of breath, nearly a laugh.
"I meant," he clarifies, "that the lake is getting smaller and smaller as time goes on. C'mon, Tsuna!"
A flush flutters across his face in mismatched splotches, and Tsuna rubs the back of his neck as he determinedly doesn't look at his older brother. This just means looking at everything else around them, and mainly the lake. He can practically see everything in layers, dirt different colors from where it had once been submerged and now suffers under the sun's heat, or where new plants are still trying to grow in comparison to those long established on dryer lands. It's a strange thing to see- the passage of time laid out so simply like this. "This... can't be easy for the people here." Even now as he follows the path to where the remaining water exists, he can see only one lone boat, tiny and individual, and no fishing people waiting along the shores.
"Yeah." Drying and dying plants rustle as Dino comes to stand besides him, and the older god gives a weary sigh. "It's been a bad drought. In some years, that may change, but, well. There's no telling if the lake will even be here by then... and the villagers don't have that long." His hand comes to rest on Tsuna's shoulder, guiding him away from the lonesome image of the lake shrinking day after day and towards the rest of the village. With his other hand, he gestures to small plots of land that have been establish on the outskirts of the village. It takes Tsuna a second to realize that it's not the plots that are small, but, rather, that it's the fields themselves. They're in areas far too large for them, meant to handle much bigger crops. "With not enough water and the rains difficult to come by, their crops are suffering, which means everything else does as well. The people, their animals... I'm sure you've felt it at least a little bit."
He has. Tsuna isn't a farming god as his brother, but he's still heard a few wayward prayers born of desperation. No resources means weakness often flourishes.
"So," Dino continues, resting his free hand on his hip, "I was thinking we could maybe redirect a few people to finding a different place to settle. It wouldn't have to be too many, because you can't uproot mortal beings from their home so easily. Just a few, you know? They could start a new place, maybe start up trade between here and somewhere else... and in time, as the drought doesn't get any better, they'll just start naturally gravitating. The only thing really stopping them is a lack of knowledge." He grins and shrugs with one shoulder. "Once I give them that, it should be enough to start some sort of change for the better, I think."
Honestly, Tsuna knows it's a solid plan, and one that Dino has probably spent a good while thinking on to make sure that his followers could be happy. Yet something keeps making him think of the lake, diminished beyond what it once was and unable to fight against the harsh beat of the sun. Even now, he glances back over in its direction. "It sounds like you have everything pretty figured out. Why'd you ask me to be here...?"
"Well, you don't have to be if you don't want to," Dino says easily enough, smiling down at him reassuringly. "Or if you have more important things to tend to. I know you have your own domain. Still, I was thinking if anything starts to get rough or they begin to doubt themselves, you could give them a little bit of encouragement."
"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that's fine." Dino's hand swings down from his back as Tsuna smiles back at him. "It's fine if I look around a little, right?"
Bright laughter greets the question. "Tsuna, you're a god too. You can do whatever you want."
Maybe that's true. Tsuna doesn't really give it much credit, however, let alone much of his thought. Instead, while Dino pays attention to this settlement and so many others which call for his attention, Tsuna drifts off towards the lake like he's wanted to all along. A lot of the plants he brushes past are dry, either from lack of the care they need or because they've had to grow tougher in this now unkind landscape. Animals aren't as easy to see from either the well worn path he walks to the lake, or off of it. Perhaps some of them have already done what Dino has proposed: moved on from this place which can no longer give them what they need. The only exception seem to be the birds. Tilting his head back to look skyward, Tsuna watches them flit through the air deftly with their forked tails sailing behind them. Once he's close enough, he can see even more of them flitting along the lake's edges, bathing and drinking and some of them snapping up the various small insects which still prosper so well here. Here, closer to the water, he can hear bits and pieces of their swallow songs.
None of them are bothered by his presence, although Tsuna suspects they know he's around as many animals seem to do. Well, that's fine. All of them simply being here, coexisting on the edge of the lake, is fine. He leaves them be, instead idly making his way around the water's circumference. Still there out in the middle of the lake is a fisherman, hair almost sticking out in spikes from where a white band seems to be wrapped around his forehead. For everything that Dino has said, for all the evidence of it is clear as day, the fisherman still seems serene out there in the water. Faintly, Tsuna wonders what it is he's thinking about but decides not to press. There's no reason to step into the view of mortal eyes. Instead, he inspects the shoreline and watches the bird's fly overhead.
Is there really nothing to do for the village, for its lake? Gently, he crouches down in soft sands near to the water, where the way in isn't so steep. It almost feels like a waste, like a cruelty. Slowly, he dips his cracked and scarred hands down into the water. It welcomes him gladly, dipping into all the cracks and aching places easily. Despite the heat of the sun, the water isn't warm. It's still cool as anything, an invitation to go further in. Tsuna smiles a little bit. "This is nice," he says quietly, to no one in particular. After all, who's around to listen? Letting out a breath, he pushes himself back up onto his feet. There's more to this place besides the lake, however much it might be important to the moral lives that have been born so near to it. Turning on his heel, he glances at the trees there waiting behind him. Plants, too, have been relying on this place... And the animals, too, although the various swallows who live around the place seem to be perfectly content.
He can't really say what it is that has him take the first step into the woods, brushing away shrubs that are a little too tall and doing his best not to trip when he ducks under low-hanging branches. Maybe in the end, all he can call the feeling, the urge, is "intuition". Intuition isn't a particular good map, however. All he does is wander, peering around tree trunks and squinting up towards where sunlight is speckled throughout the gaps of the leaves. It's a little dumb, maybe, to just go wherever, not a thought in his head, but he has honestly no idea what else to do. Something is bothering him. Something is here, in this forest, among the trees and roots and sparrows, and he just-
That's around the time Kyoya Hibari steps out from behind a tree and Tsuna shouts.
...Alright. So that's a rather nice way of describing it. To be more accurate, Tsuna screeches, the sound jittering up and around the branches as if an actual live cat has clawed its way out of his throat in a panic. "Hibari!" he squeaks, about as effective as a mouse. Suddenly everything is horrible and he's regretting that he had the idea to take a walk. Immediately, he backs up, trying to half hide behind an entirely different tree. He knows, now, that it won't really matter to Hibari on way or another. That first time they'd met, when he'd been chased down, he'd watched Hibari tear through trees in his determination. Honestly, it's a good thing that there aren't more people in the world for Hibari to 'hunt'. Tsuna has a feeling that the world wouldn't particularly last long.
To his surprise, Hibari doesn't storm forward at him, or bust out one of his many makeshift weapons. Instead, he just blinks slowly at him. It takes Tsuna a second to recognize the slow movement for the sleepiness that it is. "These are my woods," Hibari says slowly. He might have just woken up from some sort of sleep, but that doesn't make his gaze any less intimidating as he stares at Tsuna. As a matter of fact, it actually gets a little scarier. Hibari is very much like the enormous cats Tsuna has seen in hotter climates, and more humid ones as well: lazy and ready to murder at the slightest provocation. What's a provocation to Kyoya Hibari? He has no idea. "What are you doing here?"
Will any answer actually satisfy him? It's hard to tell. All Tsuna can do is tell the truth, still half behind a tree and with his hands raised up, palms out and defensive. "I was looking at the lake here," he says, forgetting to mention Dino and then wondering if he should at all. From what he understands, Dino and Hibari seem to fight a whole lot. Considering how close that mortal settlement is, and how Dino is working to help them all.... Yeah, maybe he'll just say nothing for now. Hopefully that won't come back to bite him somehow. Hopefully. "It's, um, it's..." Unable to stop himself, he shrinks a little at how that stare hasn't budged from him at all. "It's.... dying, right?" That's the term Dino had used, after all, and, the more Tsuna says or thinks it, the more true it seems.
For a few seconds that seem far too long, Hibari stares at him.... only to suddenly jolt forward, and Tsuna squeaks again in alarm, nearly tripping over himself to move further behind the tree. But there's no swing of Hibari's weapons, no attempt to follow after him. Instead, Hibari just strides right past him, and Tsuna blinks as he stares back at him. Slowly, he trails after him, not sure if he's going to get an answer or not. He's not lashed out for the nerve of following, so.... it can't be that bad an idea, right? He tells himself as he follows, and nearly trips over himself when Hibari suddenly stops.
"That's how it is," the other god says bluntly, staring straight ahead. Following his gaze, Tsuna realizes that the lake is visible inbetween the leaves and branches of the forest. "Nature changes constantly. Things don't always survive."
"...Isn't that... callous?" Tsuna offers tentatively, and flinches under the gaze which snaps towards him.
"It's fact."
Well. He is right, Tsuna guesses. Plants lose ground to other plants, animals devour one another, and weather doesn't care about anyone that ends up getting swept apart in raging winds or violent lightening. Still.... It doesn't sit right with him as he stands there, a little ways behind Hibari, staring out towards the glittering surface of the lake. "So are you saying it will die?" he asks, his heat aching with how much it's being tugged towards that image past the leaves. It's a pull that is impossible to ignore, now that he's so close to the lake. It feels as if ignorance would be failure.
Carelessly, Hibari shrugs and twists around on his heel. "Who knows," he says bluntly. "What happens will happen. I don't care, unless those humans get any ideas."
Tsuna steps to the side to let him pass; today isn't the day he's going to pick a fight with the god of wilderness in his own domain. Honestly, he'd rather not have run into him at all. "And do you think that it will have a chance to get better....?" he asks helplessly, still following after. For all that Hibari is terrifying and relentless, well.... If anyone would know anything about the wilds, then it would be him, wouldn't it?
"Rain."
....Well, that's the obvious solution, he guesses. Tsuna's shoulders slump in exasperation, and he swallows back a sigh to match. No testing the violent wilderness god, no testing the violent wilderness god... Yet even as he's thinking that, Hibari's stride begins to slow and his head tilts back thoughtfully.
"....But then... It's strange..."
Tsuna blinks. "Strange how?"
"There have been droughts before... But it's always been well." Those are Hibari's final words before he steps through the trees, disappearing with a flutter of his cloak past drying greenery. Once more, Tsuna is left on his own in the middle of the forest with only his own thoughts to stew over.
...Well. It's better than fearing for his life with every breath and footstep he takes. That's honestly better than he would have expected from a sudden meeting with Hibari, considering on their first one went. Letting out a breath it feels like he's been holding, Tsuna rubs the back of his neck and keeps walking. It's silly, maybe, to think of having run into Hibari to be a good sign, and yet that's what it feels like. No doubt humans think similar, when they think of the gods in general. Either way, all he can do is continue to walk forward, observing where the plantlife begins to seem healthier. It's not something he's really skilled at, no, but even he can spot when leaves start to look more full and green. When he used to travel with Reborn and Dino all around the world, still newly formed, he'd seen much of the same. He's not sure for how long he travels, only that it takes most of the day delving into night, and when he stops... it's to the sound of running water, with plants far more green than they'd ever been near the lake.
Flowing in the face of the drought which has overtaken a region not that far from it, the river runs swollen and clear as Tsuna steps out from the various shrubs and trees. It's so clear that it almost doesn't look like water; fish are perfectly visible as they dart along with the current. Crouching down besides the river, Tsuna considers the refreshing sight. Is this the kind of place that Dino has apparently already scouted out? Certainly a settlement, small or large, would benefit a lot more near a river like this instead of a slowly drying lake. That's good for the people, then, at least... Maybe he'll ask Dino about it. Then again, asking Dino about it means having literally any idea of where he is and, as Tsuna looks up and around, he realizes he has absolutely no idea of that himself. It's just.... a river. Surrounded by plants, and trees.
That sure is a description that will definitely be helpful. Except it's not.
For lack of any better idea of what to do, Tsuna pushes himself up onto his feet with a grunt. It won't hurt to look around for a little bit, right? Just to figure out where he is, so that he can tell Dino about it later. And maybe if he walks around enough, churning his own thoughts into something coherent, he can explain to his older brother just why the idea of abandoning the lake rests so uneasily in the pit of his stomach... It's a good a plan as any, right? That's what he tries to reason to himself...
So lost in doing that, and other nonsense thinking, he doesn't look at where his feet are going until he steps right through a patch of dirt and goes tumbling sideways, right into the water.
For all that he's a god, for all that he's been hit with worse, the cold shock of water hitting him still rattles him to his core, and Tsuna gasps only to swallow a whole mouthful of river water. Flailing wildly, he does his best to surface with his hair sticking to his face, lungs burning. It's hard to see with the water in his eyes, reducing everything to basic blocks of color. His hand sweeps out, grasping desperately for land, but he's already been swept too far in. Fingers dig into dirt and grass, only for it to crumble in his hands, mud burying itself underneath his fingernails. There's barely any time for him to despair at his fumbling before the water batters against his neck and face again, threatening to drag him under once more. Land will have to wait, wait until he can get himself upright and steady once more.
Easier said than done. It feels as if everytime he can get himself bobbing up against the water, he only has perhaps a scarce second before it's whisking him away all over again. At no point are his feet able to dig into the riverbed, either. The water had been so clear to him when he had been knelling besides the river, he hadn't realized that it had only masked just how deep the water could be. The answer: extremely deep. Far deeper than he is tall.
It's pure luck that has him bobbing upwards with a ragged gasp of air just in time to realize that the river is splitting into two different paths. Where those paths lead, well, he has absolutely no idea. Yet in that brief second, even he can see that the one to the right becomes more tumultuous, more violent, and that brief second is all he has to make a decision. Best he can, he flails and pushes himself towards the left, a god of no particular strength when it comes to swimming and breathless with fear. Breathless all the water, too. Somehow, he manages just enough, and cries out when his body hits right into the piece of land that makes up the fork. Ignoring the water he's accidentally swallowing, Tsuna reaches out and digs his fingers into earth that's a little more solid here. The current tugs at him, demands he follow its flow to the right, and he fights against it until he goes tumbling into the left path with a wheezing sputter. His heels go right over his head as the water takes him, world spinning through the lens of the water that now surrounds him. Just in time, he manages to resurface... and smacks right into a wall.
No, not a wall.... Just a dead end, and one he scrambles to grab onto. Dizzy and bleary, he digs his fingers into the walls of the river until he can heave himself halfway up onto dry land once again. It takes him a few seconds of laying there, dazed, to realize that the water still tugging at his bottom half is no longer so insistent and vicious as it had been when he'd first fallen in.
As he's laying there, trying to decipher what that means exactly, someone steps past brush and grass, and he blinks up towards the figure of Kyoya Hibari once more.
Getting banged around in a river really takes a lot out of a person regardless if they're a god or not; Tsuna is too exhausted to be terrified. Blearily, he blinks up at the other god, wondering if this is pure coincidence or if he heard all the commotion. The seconds stretch out uncomfortably, far too long, until Hibari speaks up. "Are you a god that can't appear in an entirely different place?"
Oh. Dammit. Freakin'- Groaning, Tsuna buries his face into his arms and the wet grass beneath him. "I was surprised," he says, his defense muffled by the dirt. Judging by the light snort he hears over his head, it's clearly not much of one in Hibari's eyes. As he lays there limply, embarrassed along with exhausted now, he listens as Hibari's light footsteps go through the grass and settle somewhere to Tsuna's left. Nudging his head a little to the side so that one eye can see over his arm, Tsuna watches as the terrifying wilderness god settles down alongside the river as well. It's a shame he's a overly violent and bloodthirsty guy with arcane rules that he occasionally neglects to inform anyone else of. "I thought you didn't like me?" Certainly not enough to just... sit near him, even if he did just almost drown. Maybe especially because he almost drowned.
Sure enough, Hibari does the bare minimum of glancing over at him, unimpressed. "You're not a threat. If anything, you're about as much of a threat to me as a hare." Great. He's been reduced to 'small animal' in Hibari's eyes. Then again, Tsuna guesses that's an improvement for him when the other option is apparently 'person to fight'. "Besides... There's something strange about this river that I've been trying to figure out."
"Huh?" Blinking, Tsuna begins to drag himself a little more onto land until his knees are banging into dry land again. Somehow, it's surprising to think of Hibari doing anything but being, well, himself, with all the combativeness that implies. But that even he's looking into something to do with his domain... He guesses he's never really learned much about him at all. Then again, Tsuna thinks kindly for himself, that sort of thing is hard to do when their only meeting had meant dodging thick sticks aimed at his head with impressive force. Shaking his head, drops of water flicking from the many messy strands and stray thoughts clearing out, he looks over to the other god. "What have you been trying to figure out?"
For a half a second, he almost thinks that Hibari won't bother answering him with those dark eyes focused in the shifting water. Yet to his surprise, Hibari jerks his head in the direction of the main river. "The river level has been growing more bloated recently... in contrast with that lake."
Turning himself over so that he's sitting properly, Tsuna frowns quizzically. "Do you think they have something to do with each other?"
Hibari's eyes flick to him, dark and hard to read as usual. "If they didn't?" It sounds almost like a challenge, only Tsuna has no idea what the challenge could even be about.
"I mean, well, then it wouldn't... be... a solution?" The words fumble awkwardly out of his mouth, and Tsuna hastily looks away to stare back down into the water. He's suddenly unsure if continuing a conversation with Hibari was really the best choice to make. What is he even supposed to say here? "I just... figured it would be easier! If it solved both things."
If that passes as a suitable enough answer, Tsuna has no idea. Hibari just looks back into the water, quiet and pensive... Before he stands up once again. Tsuna cranes his head back to watch him, blinking incomprehensibly for a moment or two. The other god's movements don't remain incomprehensible for long. Not when he starts shrugging out of his cloak, and then his shirt.... Squeaking, Tsuna reaches up to cover his eyes, not entirely sure if he's allowed to look. A second later, and he looks anyway, peeking inbetween his fingers just in time to see Hibari diving into the water.
He's still wearing pants. So. That's a thing.
While the currents might not be so violent and strong in this part of the river, or else Tsuna doesn't think he'd have been able to get up, they're still nothing to be complacent about. That doesn't seem to bother Hibari much. As the ripples and waves in the water clear up a little, he's able to watch the wilderness god swim agilely in direct contrast to the kind of flailing that Tsuna had demonstrated not that long ago. Sliding his hands down from his face, Tsuna leans forward to watch him a little better. Without any regard to air, Hibari delves in as deep as he can apparently go, until it looks as though his fingers can reach the riverbed. He stays under there for a long while, exploring things apparently inch by inch. Certainly he stays there for so long that Tsuna is almost suspicious that he might not even need to breathe at all, as some sort of wilderness god thing, before Hibari plants his feet against the riverbed and pushes himself up.
It's kind of unfortunate, really. All that lowkey attractiveness that he'd shown while perfectly dry is now ten times as effective with his hair so wet and his hand reaching up to slick it back. So why does he have to be such a bloodthirsty asshole?
"Underground," Hibari says, laconic, and the sound of his voice snaps Tsuna out of his own despairing thoughts. He blinks.
"What?"
Hibari's stare is just as annoyed and unimpressed as before. Or maybe Tsuna is imagining the annoyed part, but it's most definitely unimpressed. He grew up around Reborn, who he's found to be a master of using only a raise of a single eyebrow to show the absolute heights his unimpressed-ness can go. It's almost kind of amazing, honestly. "There's something that used to be an underground tunnel shooting off of this river," Hibari explains. Either he finds speaking it aloud solidifies his own thoughts, or he's in a remarkably generous mood. Tsuna can't tell that, either. "If it keeps going in the direction it was pointing towards... then it might have been the river which fed the lake."
When he explains it like that... "Then the river has grown so much," Tsuna says quietly, gaze drifting back into the water as Hibari makes his way to the shore, "because it no longer has access to the lake. Combined with the drought..." Of course the lake has been dying. It's been cut off from the two things it needs to survive. "Is there any way to get past whatever is blocking that path?"
Pulling himself smoothly out of the water and up to his feet, Hibari shrugs carelessly. "It's not my concern," he says.
What. "What." Tsuna isn't naive. He understands that Hibari can be a callous person, or at least appear callous. It's just that he always thought that callousness extended to humans and other gods alone. "Why?"
Hibari just about ignores him as he leans down to gather his clothes up and slide them onto his body once again. "It's not a danger to anything," he says, matter of factly.
"But everything needs water to live!"
"And that lake is not the only source of water in this world." Hibari's eyes flash at him, but, this time, Tsuna doesn't flinch away. He's too distressed. "Plants will either grow again or perish. Animals will either try to find other places, or they will also perish." He turns away, binding his cloak together at the front neatly. "I wanted to know in case someone could be blamed, mortal or not... But this has nothing to do with anyone else. So it's not my concern."
So that's how he thinks... Tsuna watches him disappear into the forest once more, there one moment and then blending into branches and leaves so quickly as to be instantaneous. Well, he's not wrong, he guesses. A god of wilderness, out of anyone, who understand the change that happens in nature... and how not all of that is good. Maybe that's fine, for him...
But it's not fine for Tsuna.
His clothes aren't completely dry when he finally rises up onto his own two feet, still uncomfortably cool and clinging in some places to his skin. While he'd complain at another time, Tsuna has other things his mind is preoccupied towards. Standing there by the river, he stares down into the depths that are only getting all the more dark as time passes. Hibari had said that he'd only taken curiosity in case the change of the river and the drought that so badly was affecting the lake were the fault of mortals or gods. If things were to change... If things were to go back to the way they had been before the route connecting river and lake had been blocked off, would he investigate once again? It's something Tsuna ponders as he reaches up to slowly remove his own cloak and takes the fabric inbetween his scared fingers. Slowly, he begins to pluck at the edges, tearing long strips from it until the cloak has completely unraveled into nothing but cloth torn apart and limp on the ground. It's a pity, since it's served him so well, but he needs it for better reasons. Tying every strip together until it makes a long rope takes time, enough time until the moon has made its journey across the sky and the sun begins to bear down on him again. Honestly, he's thankful for it, and the way it dries out the new cord the ties to a tree and then to one wrist. Taking a deep shuddering breath, he glances back into the water again.
He's not a great swimmer. Frankly, he's not even entirely confident in his knot-tying skills. Tsuna doesn't let that stop him from going to the edge of the river, taking in another deep breath, and jumping in.
Hibari really had made it easy, honestly... The second Tsuna hits the water, he can already feel the river trying to pull him away. If it were any stronger, no doubt it would succeed, even with the rope tied about his wrist. Yet thanks to that, and thanks to the weakened pull of the water in this current dead end, Tsuna doesn't have to worry. Kicking his feet, he breaches the surface again to take in a mouthful of air. Just in case. Then it's back down again, fighting against the river, fighting against his self-made anchor. Hibari had clearly kept his eyes open when he'd been down in the water himself. Tsuna doesn't have the faintest idea how he did it. Now that he's in the same position, all he can make out are faint blurry shapes that are as bad as when he'd first tried to open his eyes while being tossed around in the river. Is it because he's not a god of the wilderness?
No, he's only a god with a too soft heart, that's what he is. So even though he can hardly see any details at all, Tsuna still does his best to kick and flail, feet shoving up against the walls of the river when he wanders a bit too close and a bit too high. In the amount of time it takes for him to search through the entire dead end, the sun has drifted past its hottest point. That means he can hardly make out the large hole all the way near to the bottom of the riverbed, a tunnel big enough for a human, for fish to swim through. At least, it had been large enough, once, before what looks like logs and large chunks of rock had clogged it up to make passage all but impossible. Perhaps it had only been a storm that had shifted things so, or maybe the subtle shiftings of the earth were to blame. Whatever happened, it's all in the past now. All that matters now is the damage that has been done. Pushing himself back up to the surface, Tsuna grabs onto the ground again and floats there for a second hacking up water. It's not something impossible to fix... Just difficult. Perhaps more effort than is worth it for any mortal he could tell. Maybe that means he, too, should just leave it alone and do as Hibari is, as Dino is, and let nature take its course with the rest of the world adjusting appropriately...
...But he's not mortal. Maybe he's not much at all, but he is at the very least not mortal, and hears a calling stronger than anyone else's voice. It's not something he can ignore... not when it's right there in front of his face. So there, up on the surface, Tsuna tilts his head back with water slick down his chin and allows his eyes to fall shut. From his forehead, inbetween strands of hair that cling to his forehead, embers spark... and burst into a single and wild flame.
Fire isn't meant to burn underwater, not normally. That kind of heat is reserved for lava, volcanoes resting deep in the sea and only sending up bubbling water. Tsuna dives back down regardless, mouth sealed shut with all his strength and forcing more and more of his energy to his flames. This is not his domain, he is not welcome here, and he ignores all of that as he reaches forward to take a large chunk of log in his hands, braces his feet against the wall, and pulls. He's not as strong as he would be up on land in the bright daylight, but he is still enough, it seems. The water vibrates, the tunnel shudders, and he tosses the log behind him to drift to the riverbed. Maybe it will be carried away by the current, pulled apart piece by piece, or maybe it will just rest there. Hopefully he hasn't disturbed the homes of any creatures which may have lived there, but Tsuna's concerns don't lie there. They are before of him, a trail of bubbling water following his hands as he reaches forward again and again. His lungs themselves nearly seem to burn as he holds his breath, taxed even worse with such taxing work. It's right as he's at the very end of it, hands tugging at a bolder larger than he is, that it occurs to him that he should take a break for more air...
The boulder budges, then keels over, more flat than round, and the weight of a whole river bearing against it smashes through.... carrying Tsuna with it.
Right at the forefront of it all, Tsuna gasps as he breaks through for a moment, taking in dry air that hasn't seen the light of day or touch of water in who knows how long. Then he's being tossed, head over heels, unable to fight against the water pouring through an old path it hasn't seen for a long, long time. It's not a clear way through. Thick roots, more rocks, pieces of debris that have been stuck from whatever natural events that have transpired... He goes crashing through all of them, god sturdy and river propelled. Air isn't a thing in this journey, not for long. Whatever breath he can get is snatched in quick moments, pockets of air that the water doesn't completely cover before he's torn away again. Everything is dark, rough, and he can't tell if it's always that way or if his vision is simply fading out. Right as he thinks this is it, his lungs longing for air that he hasn't had for too long, he crashes into the bottom of the tunnel only to go floating out. Twisting onto his back, he stares blearily up at a pale shimmering blue...
All around him, the water wraps around him like a lovelorn partner, and his eyes drift shut for only a moment.
Only a moment, he swears, he really does, and yet when he opens them again, it's to the sound of a man calling to him and skin hitting skin. His skin. Someone is smacking his face, lightly, and he wheezes back into the conscious world again. "What?" he asks, throat raw and full of bruises. At least, his body feels bruised, although it's probably healed up by now. A god's stupidity, fortunately, doesn't seem to have lasting consequences on the body itself. When he looks to the side, he expects Dino, or Reborn, but it's neither of them. Instead, it's an older man with harsh lines in his face, and his black hair swept back into spikes that are kept in place by a thick white headband. His face is a little harsh, but his eyes are kind. Concerned.
Shaking his head, the man leans back from where he's knelt besides Tsuna. "Good, you're still alive. A young man like you shouldn't throw your life away so carelessly, you know. You still have a lot to live for."
"Wasn't throwing my life away," Tsuna mumbles, blinking the water out of his eyes and looking around. He's on the shore, now. The shore of the lake. "Just.... can't swim good..." Head swimming much better than he actually can, Tsuna presses his elbows into the sand and tries to push himself up. Immediately, he starts to sway, world twisting and moving. Immediately, a hand is at his arm, holding him steady.
"In the state you're in, then I don't think you'll walk good, either," the man says. At least his voice comes in clear while the rest of the world can't. Tsuna doesn't argue at all when the man begin to heave him up, arm around his shoulders so that he doesn't go pitching forward right on his face. At the rate thing are going, Tsuna suspects it's liable to happen if he's not careful. "At least it's good that you weren't trying to end things, then. With the rate thing are going, it doesn't look good for the lake or our village, but that doesn't mean a needless death should mar the water." Carefully, the man takes a few cautious steps forward, his eyes on Tsuna the whole time. "How do you feel?"
"Bad...?" is all Tsuna can offer, for lack of any other way to describe it when his tongue is so clumsy in his own mouth. He's exhausted, soaking wet, and kind of wants to nap for a while. None of that will happen now, however. The man keeps moving him forward, although he makes sure to support Tsuna the whole way.
"Ha, well, at least you're honest." He adjusts his grip along Tsuna's shoulders. "I'll get you to my home, feed you a little, and we'll see if that does you any good. What's your name?"
"Tsuna..."
"Well, Tsuna, I'm Yamamoto. You won't have anything to worry about while I'm here with you."
Yamamoto's home is near to the center of the village, a simple little place clearly meant for one. Despite the simplicity, however, it's more a choice than anything else. Yamamoto is not a man disliked, and not one unkind. People call out to him gladly as he goes through the village, and his items are lined up neatly against the walls, away from his fire. As he's settled down against some blankets, Tsuna allows his gaze to roam and recognizes the fishing poles and hooks which take up no small amount of wall. Before he can inquire much more, Yamamoto is shoving some finely slice fish on a clay plate over to him.
"Here, have this." Straightening up, he dusts his hands off. "Fill your stomach up with something besides lake water. You don't have to worry about repaying me."
"Are you sure?"
"Don't worry about it." Yamamoto snorts, a well meaning smile curving along his face. "What kind of man would I be if I forced a boy to pay after he's nearly drowned?"
Well, if he insists. Tsuna eats slowly, not wanting to tempt fate by eating too quickly, and watches Yamamoto go about his home to straighten it out. He's never seen a home kept so neatly, save perhaps for that of his father, and even then, well.. It's less 'neat' and more 'barren'. Tsuna has wondered why, but, then, he's never been to that place often enough to justify bringing it up. At least Yamamoto's feels lived in, comfortable, and he watches him for a few minutes before a question very belated bubbles up in his mind. "How did you find me?" he asks, feeling a surge of confusion. He's a god. He shouldn't be seen. Is it because he was so weak...?
From where he's poking the fire, Yamamoto blinks back over at him. "Hm? Oh, that." Tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, Yamamoto strokes his chin. "Would you believe me if I said that I listened to birds?"
...Okay, Tsuna isn't entirely sure what he was expecting, but that definitely wasn't it.
Yamamoto laughs brightly at the look on his face, rocking back on his heels. "Exactly! Still, it's the truth. I was leaving the lake after a day of fishing, and the local birds wouldn't stop their ruckus. Now, I understand that they're noisy, but this was something else entirely." He goes back to the fire, a contemplative smile lingering on his mouth. "I thought there was going to be some natural disaster. I've heard from my grandparents that when the first rainbow gathered in the sky, all of the horses near them were absolutely frantic but helping whoever they could. My grandmother said one helped her life. Well, swallows are something else entirely, but I thought if they were so upset... And they were all calling from around the lake." Standing up, he wipes his hands against his wide pants. "That was another thing that seemed wrong. The lake, I mean. There haven't been any strong winds today, but that wasn't stopping the waves from churning over in the lake. Would it be too poetic to say that it nearly sounded like crying?"
In the back of his head, Tsuna thinks of how the water had felt wrapped around him, aching and secure. "No," he answers, "I don't think so."
A chuckle leaves Yamamoto, and he goes to settle down on the other side of his home to face Tsuna. "Well, I followed the direction the waves were churning and the swallows were screaming, and that's where I found you. I didn't think the good embers were much for water, but I imagine He must have come through for you today."
In no small amount, Tsuna's face starts to go red. "Uh," he says, words utterly and completely failing him. Or maybe he's failing words. It's probably the second one, when he stops to think about it. "Y... eah..."
"You should make sure to leave an offering in thanks, alright?"
And that's how he ends up giving a small part of fish to a humble little shine, entirely unsure of how to explain that he's just giving himself something. Being a god is so weird, sometimes.
At least Yamamoto is kind, welcoming him into his home to stay for the night, and Tsuna waits curled up in the corner until he hears the mortal's breath even out into the deep breaths of sleep. With that confirmed, he carefully rises up to his feet again to fold his blankets to the side and leave behind his own token of thanks in the form of offerings from his other shrines. With his cloak in torn tatters somewhere in the forest and partially on his wrist, Tsuna is left with only plain clothes as he steps out of Yamamoto's home....
...and nearly right into Dino. Actually, exactly right into Dino, his nose hitting the other god's chest straight on. Tsuna gives a muffled yelp, the sound coming out funny with his noise partially squished, and Dino jolts right backwards. "Tsuna!" he says, surprised and... relieved? Rubbing his nose, Tsuna blinks up at his older brother and takes him in properly. His hair is a little more mussed up than it usually is, and he can see scrapes and bruises here and there, including one right along the curve of his jaw.
Well, there's only one explanation for that. "Was Romario not nearby?" Tsuna asks with a careful kind of exasperation, where he's trying to hide it but, well, sometimes that kind of thing simply can't be hidden. Sometimes, when he's too far away from his domain, Dino gets ridiculously clumsy. Tsuna isn't sure how that is, considering how widespread Dino's followers are, but, well, things happen, he guesses. He'd think it was a thing with all gods, but he's not entirely sure that explains him. It might just be a Dino thing when it all comes down to it.
A flush flares up along Dino's cheeks. "I was perfectly fine," he insists, although Tsuna has no idea how much he should believe him. "Something came up, and I had to do some damage control."
...Okay, maybe there's more than one explanation for this. "Did you run into Hibari...?"
"No." A pause before Dino heaves out a sigh, and a fond smile flickers across his face for a brief moment. "Not recently, anyway. Still, where were you? I was starting to get worried."
"...I ran into Hibari."
"...Ah." A single word, loaded with all the understanding in the world. Shoulders slumping in sympathy, Dino reaches over to rest his hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "I mean. Well. That sure would explain it."
It doesn't explain everything, as a matter of fact, but, well, Dino doesn't really need to know about his ridiculous journey on behalf of a fading lake. Instead, reaching up to take his brother's hand in his, Tsuna tilts his head to the side. "So if it wasn't Hibari, who was it?" Honestly, he's not expecting a lot, but Dino's face grows a little more somber. The breath he lets out is slow and steadying, and Dino begins to guide him away from the little mortal settlement.
There's no immediate answer, however. Dino thinks over his words carefully as he glances around them at the trees drying out in the unforgiving drought which has taken over the land. "This place is starting to get preyed upon," he says quietly, the moon alone being witness to their quiet conversation. Even the swallows which have made their homes so close to the lake have fallen silent, and Tsuna can't hear any other night creatures lurking about in the brush. "The drought has got people worrying, with some of them even scared about what lies for them in the future. Even while I'm working to help them, well..." His mouth twists into a grimace. "A god's work isn't always so obvious, so it's not as if they can be comforted by my work alone. That leaves them vulnerable."
Vulnerable... Tsuna's thoughts drift to a memory of ash and fire. "Do you think you could handle it on your own...?"
"Ahh...." Laughing a little bit in a way that's not exactly humorous, Dino rubs the back of his head. "I'd like to say so, but you can never tell with these kinds of things. I'd rather be safe than sorry, right? Especially with so many people under my care that I have to watch out for. Sooooo...." Raising one hand in mimic of the kind of prayer that mortals do, only so much more flippant, Dino winks down at Tsuna. "I'd really appreciate it if you could stick around a little more than I initially asked you to!"
Yep. He should have expected that, really. Tsuna heaves out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not really sure if I'll be a lot of help... I mean, I kind of can't even swim and rivers can beat me up..."
"Rivers can beat a lot of people up, so don't waste your energy doing the same thing." Dino's hand goes to his head next, ruffling it. There's not quite the same effect as when Reborn does it, but his already messy hair still feels a little messier for it. "It doesn't matter if you can't swim. That's not what I'm asking your help with, right?" He grins, bright and doofy and sunshine warm. "I'm just asking you to watch your big brother's back."
Sometimes, Dino makes things sound so easy. It's probably why he's such a charismatic god, known to so many and comforted by most of that. Tsuna sighs again, but he's smiling, this time. "Yeah. I guess I can do that."
"There we go!" Letting go of his hand, Dino smacks his back lightly, although even that nearly bowls Tsuna over. "Then let's get started right away. Darkness is exactly the kind of time that predators like to hunt!"
"Right now!?" Tsuna squeaks.
"Of course!" Dino doesn't stop grinning. If anything, the grins seems to grow, and Tsuna is faintly reminded of their father. He gets the same kind of look a whole lot, and Tsuna has found that there's nothing really good guaranteed when it shows up. "There's no rest for gods, is there? So, where do you want to start your own patrol?"
Oh boy. He's really just been dragged right into this. Desperately, Tsuna wiggles away from the brilliant god. "Near the lake! Near the lake, since it's important!" That works, right? Although it occurs to him, as he makes his hasty escape, that may just be asking for further trouble if something or someone really does come from that way... Eugh. Great. Exactly what he needs. Still, when he comes to a stop by the lakeside and watches the way water shimmers in moonlight, he can't find himself regretting anything too heavily. After all...
It's a breathtaking sight he gets to see.
Breath rustling out of him, he sinks down into a crouch at the water's edge and allows his fingertips to dangle just a breath away from the cool surface. "At least you'll be alright," he murmurs gently to the air. "And so will the humans, too, right?"
The lake doesn't answer him. Well, that was an obvious conclusion, of course. A lake can't speak, or communicate. A lake exists, and that's all. Still, he feels a little better now. There are no obvious changes to the water as far as he can see, but he knows that it must be growing, quietly and steadily. Waiting there in the peaceful dark, Tsuna contemplates the view. Yamamoto had described it as a place full of chaos, with the waves churning and the birds calling. It's hard to imagine that, with where he is sitting right now at its shores. No wind toys at the water, leaving only a calm glassy surface from which the stars' shine reflects right back. It's serene, and Tsuna can't imagine being at a place anymore beautiful.
Perhaps it was only his own selfishness that lead his actions to become as they did. Still, in the light of the moon with cool water at his fingertips, he can't find himself being particularly bothered by that fact.
Everything doesn't seem like it could be any better.
Swelling, stretching, he touches all that he can- muddied waters, slopping sand, rocks that glisten. It is not as much as he could touch, once. Now, he is weaker. Now, he is helpless. It should frighten him, perhaps, staring up towards the cloudless sky that is far too intense a blue. Maybe he should struggle, or cry for help, or anything but lay there.
He doesn't.
Instead, he pulls back into himself, content. He is dying, and is that so bad, really? If he is dying, that means there is no more use for him, and he is an empty existence if he cannot do the most basic things which have been asked of him. So long as he is not burdened by fear, then this is not the worst ending he could have asked for. This much, surely, is fine. Still, staring up at the sky, he can't help regret but only a little.
If only he could have been of more use to them. If only he could be wanted more.
"The lake is dying," Dino explains, gesturing out to the small village constructed not too far from its shores.
Well, that sure is something to say. Frowning, Tsuna steps around the settlement. There are a lot of them that he's seen in the world now, and they tend to all be pretty similar, although he has to admit that humans always manage to find their own spin on things. Carefully slanted roofs so that the inevitable rain doesn't build up on top, and built a decent ways from the local lake or river for, again, the build up that rains can bring....
Only this looks a lot further from the lake than most water settlements tend to be.
"I didn't know, uh, dying was a thing that bodies of water could do?" he offers cautiously, glancing over the severe distance between buildings and water. Nearby, Dino gives a slight huff of breath, nearly a laugh.
"I meant," he clarifies, "that the lake is getting smaller and smaller as time goes on. C'mon, Tsuna!"
A flush flutters across his face in mismatched splotches, and Tsuna rubs the back of his neck as he determinedly doesn't look at his older brother. This just means looking at everything else around them, and mainly the lake. He can practically see everything in layers, dirt different colors from where it had once been submerged and now suffers under the sun's heat, or where new plants are still trying to grow in comparison to those long established on dryer lands. It's a strange thing to see- the passage of time laid out so simply like this. "This... can't be easy for the people here." Even now as he follows the path to where the remaining water exists, he can see only one lone boat, tiny and individual, and no fishing people waiting along the shores.
"Yeah." Drying and dying plants rustle as Dino comes to stand besides him, and the older god gives a weary sigh. "It's been a bad drought. In some years, that may change, but, well. There's no telling if the lake will even be here by then... and the villagers don't have that long." His hand comes to rest on Tsuna's shoulder, guiding him away from the lonesome image of the lake shrinking day after day and towards the rest of the village. With his other hand, he gestures to small plots of land that have been establish on the outskirts of the village. It takes Tsuna a second to realize that it's not the plots that are small, but, rather, that it's the fields themselves. They're in areas far too large for them, meant to handle much bigger crops. "With not enough water and the rains difficult to come by, their crops are suffering, which means everything else does as well. The people, their animals... I'm sure you've felt it at least a little bit."
He has. Tsuna isn't a farming god as his brother, but he's still heard a few wayward prayers born of desperation. No resources means weakness often flourishes.
"So," Dino continues, resting his free hand on his hip, "I was thinking we could maybe redirect a few people to finding a different place to settle. It wouldn't have to be too many, because you can't uproot mortal beings from their home so easily. Just a few, you know? They could start a new place, maybe start up trade between here and somewhere else... and in time, as the drought doesn't get any better, they'll just start naturally gravitating. The only thing really stopping them is a lack of knowledge." He grins and shrugs with one shoulder. "Once I give them that, it should be enough to start some sort of change for the better, I think."
Honestly, Tsuna knows it's a solid plan, and one that Dino has probably spent a good while thinking on to make sure that his followers could be happy. Yet something keeps making him think of the lake, diminished beyond what it once was and unable to fight against the harsh beat of the sun. Even now, he glances back over in its direction. "It sounds like you have everything pretty figured out. Why'd you ask me to be here...?"
"Well, you don't have to be if you don't want to," Dino says easily enough, smiling down at him reassuringly. "Or if you have more important things to tend to. I know you have your own domain. Still, I was thinking if anything starts to get rough or they begin to doubt themselves, you could give them a little bit of encouragement."
"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, that's fine." Dino's hand swings down from his back as Tsuna smiles back at him. "It's fine if I look around a little, right?"
Bright laughter greets the question. "Tsuna, you're a god too. You can do whatever you want."
Maybe that's true. Tsuna doesn't really give it much credit, however, let alone much of his thought. Instead, while Dino pays attention to this settlement and so many others which call for his attention, Tsuna drifts off towards the lake like he's wanted to all along. A lot of the plants he brushes past are dry, either from lack of the care they need or because they've had to grow tougher in this now unkind landscape. Animals aren't as easy to see from either the well worn path he walks to the lake, or off of it. Perhaps some of them have already done what Dino has proposed: moved on from this place which can no longer give them what they need. The only exception seem to be the birds. Tilting his head back to look skyward, Tsuna watches them flit through the air deftly with their forked tails sailing behind them. Once he's close enough, he can see even more of them flitting along the lake's edges, bathing and drinking and some of them snapping up the various small insects which still prosper so well here. Here, closer to the water, he can hear bits and pieces of their swallow songs.
None of them are bothered by his presence, although Tsuna suspects they know he's around as many animals seem to do. Well, that's fine. All of them simply being here, coexisting on the edge of the lake, is fine. He leaves them be, instead idly making his way around the water's circumference. Still there out in the middle of the lake is a fisherman, hair almost sticking out in spikes from where a white band seems to be wrapped around his forehead. For everything that Dino has said, for all the evidence of it is clear as day, the fisherman still seems serene out there in the water. Faintly, Tsuna wonders what it is he's thinking about but decides not to press. There's no reason to step into the view of mortal eyes. Instead, he inspects the shoreline and watches the bird's fly overhead.
Is there really nothing to do for the village, for its lake? Gently, he crouches down in soft sands near to the water, where the way in isn't so steep. It almost feels like a waste, like a cruelty. Slowly, he dips his cracked and scarred hands down into the water. It welcomes him gladly, dipping into all the cracks and aching places easily. Despite the heat of the sun, the water isn't warm. It's still cool as anything, an invitation to go further in. Tsuna smiles a little bit. "This is nice," he says quietly, to no one in particular. After all, who's around to listen? Letting out a breath, he pushes himself back up onto his feet. There's more to this place besides the lake, however much it might be important to the moral lives that have been born so near to it. Turning on his heel, he glances at the trees there waiting behind him. Plants, too, have been relying on this place... And the animals, too, although the various swallows who live around the place seem to be perfectly content.
He can't really say what it is that has him take the first step into the woods, brushing away shrubs that are a little too tall and doing his best not to trip when he ducks under low-hanging branches. Maybe in the end, all he can call the feeling, the urge, is "intuition". Intuition isn't a particular good map, however. All he does is wander, peering around tree trunks and squinting up towards where sunlight is speckled throughout the gaps of the leaves. It's a little dumb, maybe, to just go wherever, not a thought in his head, but he has honestly no idea what else to do. Something is bothering him. Something is here, in this forest, among the trees and roots and sparrows, and he just-
That's around the time Kyoya Hibari steps out from behind a tree and Tsuna shouts.
...Alright. So that's a rather nice way of describing it. To be more accurate, Tsuna screeches, the sound jittering up and around the branches as if an actual live cat has clawed its way out of his throat in a panic. "Hibari!" he squeaks, about as effective as a mouse. Suddenly everything is horrible and he's regretting that he had the idea to take a walk. Immediately, he backs up, trying to half hide behind an entirely different tree. He knows, now, that it won't really matter to Hibari on way or another. That first time they'd met, when he'd been chased down, he'd watched Hibari tear through trees in his determination. Honestly, it's a good thing that there aren't more people in the world for Hibari to 'hunt'. Tsuna has a feeling that the world wouldn't particularly last long.
To his surprise, Hibari doesn't storm forward at him, or bust out one of his many makeshift weapons. Instead, he just blinks slowly at him. It takes Tsuna a second to recognize the slow movement for the sleepiness that it is. "These are my woods," Hibari says slowly. He might have just woken up from some sort of sleep, but that doesn't make his gaze any less intimidating as he stares at Tsuna. As a matter of fact, it actually gets a little scarier. Hibari is very much like the enormous cats Tsuna has seen in hotter climates, and more humid ones as well: lazy and ready to murder at the slightest provocation. What's a provocation to Kyoya Hibari? He has no idea. "What are you doing here?"
Will any answer actually satisfy him? It's hard to tell. All Tsuna can do is tell the truth, still half behind a tree and with his hands raised up, palms out and defensive. "I was looking at the lake here," he says, forgetting to mention Dino and then wondering if he should at all. From what he understands, Dino and Hibari seem to fight a whole lot. Considering how close that mortal settlement is, and how Dino is working to help them all.... Yeah, maybe he'll just say nothing for now. Hopefully that won't come back to bite him somehow. Hopefully. "It's, um, it's..." Unable to stop himself, he shrinks a little at how that stare hasn't budged from him at all. "It's.... dying, right?" That's the term Dino had used, after all, and, the more Tsuna says or thinks it, the more true it seems.
For a few seconds that seem far too long, Hibari stares at him.... only to suddenly jolt forward, and Tsuna squeaks again in alarm, nearly tripping over himself to move further behind the tree. But there's no swing of Hibari's weapons, no attempt to follow after him. Instead, Hibari just strides right past him, and Tsuna blinks as he stares back at him. Slowly, he trails after him, not sure if he's going to get an answer or not. He's not lashed out for the nerve of following, so.... it can't be that bad an idea, right? He tells himself as he follows, and nearly trips over himself when Hibari suddenly stops.
"That's how it is," the other god says bluntly, staring straight ahead. Following his gaze, Tsuna realizes that the lake is visible inbetween the leaves and branches of the forest. "Nature changes constantly. Things don't always survive."
"...Isn't that... callous?" Tsuna offers tentatively, and flinches under the gaze which snaps towards him.
"It's fact."
Well. He is right, Tsuna guesses. Plants lose ground to other plants, animals devour one another, and weather doesn't care about anyone that ends up getting swept apart in raging winds or violent lightening. Still.... It doesn't sit right with him as he stands there, a little ways behind Hibari, staring out towards the glittering surface of the lake. "So are you saying it will die?" he asks, his heat aching with how much it's being tugged towards that image past the leaves. It's a pull that is impossible to ignore, now that he's so close to the lake. It feels as if ignorance would be failure.
Carelessly, Hibari shrugs and twists around on his heel. "Who knows," he says bluntly. "What happens will happen. I don't care, unless those humans get any ideas."
Tsuna steps to the side to let him pass; today isn't the day he's going to pick a fight with the god of wilderness in his own domain. Honestly, he'd rather not have run into him at all. "And do you think that it will have a chance to get better....?" he asks helplessly, still following after. For all that Hibari is terrifying and relentless, well.... If anyone would know anything about the wilds, then it would be him, wouldn't it?
"Rain."
....Well, that's the obvious solution, he guesses. Tsuna's shoulders slump in exasperation, and he swallows back a sigh to match. No testing the violent wilderness god, no testing the violent wilderness god... Yet even as he's thinking that, Hibari's stride begins to slow and his head tilts back thoughtfully.
"....But then... It's strange..."
Tsuna blinks. "Strange how?"
"There have been droughts before... But it's always been well." Those are Hibari's final words before he steps through the trees, disappearing with a flutter of his cloak past drying greenery. Once more, Tsuna is left on his own in the middle of the forest with only his own thoughts to stew over.
...Well. It's better than fearing for his life with every breath and footstep he takes. That's honestly better than he would have expected from a sudden meeting with Hibari, considering on their first one went. Letting out a breath it feels like he's been holding, Tsuna rubs the back of his neck and keeps walking. It's silly, maybe, to think of having run into Hibari to be a good sign, and yet that's what it feels like. No doubt humans think similar, when they think of the gods in general. Either way, all he can do is continue to walk forward, observing where the plantlife begins to seem healthier. It's not something he's really skilled at, no, but even he can spot when leaves start to look more full and green. When he used to travel with Reborn and Dino all around the world, still newly formed, he'd seen much of the same. He's not sure for how long he travels, only that it takes most of the day delving into night, and when he stops... it's to the sound of running water, with plants far more green than they'd ever been near the lake.
Flowing in the face of the drought which has overtaken a region not that far from it, the river runs swollen and clear as Tsuna steps out from the various shrubs and trees. It's so clear that it almost doesn't look like water; fish are perfectly visible as they dart along with the current. Crouching down besides the river, Tsuna considers the refreshing sight. Is this the kind of place that Dino has apparently already scouted out? Certainly a settlement, small or large, would benefit a lot more near a river like this instead of a slowly drying lake. That's good for the people, then, at least... Maybe he'll ask Dino about it. Then again, asking Dino about it means having literally any idea of where he is and, as Tsuna looks up and around, he realizes he has absolutely no idea of that himself. It's just.... a river. Surrounded by plants, and trees.
That sure is a description that will definitely be helpful. Except it's not.
For lack of any better idea of what to do, Tsuna pushes himself up onto his feet with a grunt. It won't hurt to look around for a little bit, right? Just to figure out where he is, so that he can tell Dino about it later. And maybe if he walks around enough, churning his own thoughts into something coherent, he can explain to his older brother just why the idea of abandoning the lake rests so uneasily in the pit of his stomach... It's a good a plan as any, right? That's what he tries to reason to himself...
So lost in doing that, and other nonsense thinking, he doesn't look at where his feet are going until he steps right through a patch of dirt and goes tumbling sideways, right into the water.
For all that he's a god, for all that he's been hit with worse, the cold shock of water hitting him still rattles him to his core, and Tsuna gasps only to swallow a whole mouthful of river water. Flailing wildly, he does his best to surface with his hair sticking to his face, lungs burning. It's hard to see with the water in his eyes, reducing everything to basic blocks of color. His hand sweeps out, grasping desperately for land, but he's already been swept too far in. Fingers dig into dirt and grass, only for it to crumble in his hands, mud burying itself underneath his fingernails. There's barely any time for him to despair at his fumbling before the water batters against his neck and face again, threatening to drag him under once more. Land will have to wait, wait until he can get himself upright and steady once more.
Easier said than done. It feels as if everytime he can get himself bobbing up against the water, he only has perhaps a scarce second before it's whisking him away all over again. At no point are his feet able to dig into the riverbed, either. The water had been so clear to him when he had been knelling besides the river, he hadn't realized that it had only masked just how deep the water could be. The answer: extremely deep. Far deeper than he is tall.
It's pure luck that has him bobbing upwards with a ragged gasp of air just in time to realize that the river is splitting into two different paths. Where those paths lead, well, he has absolutely no idea. Yet in that brief second, even he can see that the one to the right becomes more tumultuous, more violent, and that brief second is all he has to make a decision. Best he can, he flails and pushes himself towards the left, a god of no particular strength when it comes to swimming and breathless with fear. Breathless all the water, too. Somehow, he manages just enough, and cries out when his body hits right into the piece of land that makes up the fork. Ignoring the water he's accidentally swallowing, Tsuna reaches out and digs his fingers into earth that's a little more solid here. The current tugs at him, demands he follow its flow to the right, and he fights against it until he goes tumbling into the left path with a wheezing sputter. His heels go right over his head as the water takes him, world spinning through the lens of the water that now surrounds him. Just in time, he manages to resurface... and smacks right into a wall.
No, not a wall.... Just a dead end, and one he scrambles to grab onto. Dizzy and bleary, he digs his fingers into the walls of the river until he can heave himself halfway up onto dry land once again. It takes him a few seconds of laying there, dazed, to realize that the water still tugging at his bottom half is no longer so insistent and vicious as it had been when he'd first fallen in.
As he's laying there, trying to decipher what that means exactly, someone steps past brush and grass, and he blinks up towards the figure of Kyoya Hibari once more.
Getting banged around in a river really takes a lot out of a person regardless if they're a god or not; Tsuna is too exhausted to be terrified. Blearily, he blinks up at the other god, wondering if this is pure coincidence or if he heard all the commotion. The seconds stretch out uncomfortably, far too long, until Hibari speaks up. "Are you a god that can't appear in an entirely different place?"
Oh. Dammit. Freakin'- Groaning, Tsuna buries his face into his arms and the wet grass beneath him. "I was surprised," he says, his defense muffled by the dirt. Judging by the light snort he hears over his head, it's clearly not much of one in Hibari's eyes. As he lays there limply, embarrassed along with exhausted now, he listens as Hibari's light footsteps go through the grass and settle somewhere to Tsuna's left. Nudging his head a little to the side so that one eye can see over his arm, Tsuna watches as the terrifying wilderness god settles down alongside the river as well. It's a shame he's a overly violent and bloodthirsty guy with arcane rules that he occasionally neglects to inform anyone else of. "I thought you didn't like me?" Certainly not enough to just... sit near him, even if he did just almost drown. Maybe especially because he almost drowned.
Sure enough, Hibari does the bare minimum of glancing over at him, unimpressed. "You're not a threat. If anything, you're about as much of a threat to me as a hare." Great. He's been reduced to 'small animal' in Hibari's eyes. Then again, Tsuna guesses that's an improvement for him when the other option is apparently 'person to fight'. "Besides... There's something strange about this river that I've been trying to figure out."
"Huh?" Blinking, Tsuna begins to drag himself a little more onto land until his knees are banging into dry land again. Somehow, it's surprising to think of Hibari doing anything but being, well, himself, with all the combativeness that implies. But that even he's looking into something to do with his domain... He guesses he's never really learned much about him at all. Then again, Tsuna thinks kindly for himself, that sort of thing is hard to do when their only meeting had meant dodging thick sticks aimed at his head with impressive force. Shaking his head, drops of water flicking from the many messy strands and stray thoughts clearing out, he looks over to the other god. "What have you been trying to figure out?"
For a half a second, he almost thinks that Hibari won't bother answering him with those dark eyes focused in the shifting water. Yet to his surprise, Hibari jerks his head in the direction of the main river. "The river level has been growing more bloated recently... in contrast with that lake."
Turning himself over so that he's sitting properly, Tsuna frowns quizzically. "Do you think they have something to do with each other?"
Hibari's eyes flick to him, dark and hard to read as usual. "If they didn't?" It sounds almost like a challenge, only Tsuna has no idea what the challenge could even be about.
"I mean, well, then it wouldn't... be... a solution?" The words fumble awkwardly out of his mouth, and Tsuna hastily looks away to stare back down into the water. He's suddenly unsure if continuing a conversation with Hibari was really the best choice to make. What is he even supposed to say here? "I just... figured it would be easier! If it solved both things."
If that passes as a suitable enough answer, Tsuna has no idea. Hibari just looks back into the water, quiet and pensive... Before he stands up once again. Tsuna cranes his head back to watch him, blinking incomprehensibly for a moment or two. The other god's movements don't remain incomprehensible for long. Not when he starts shrugging out of his cloak, and then his shirt.... Squeaking, Tsuna reaches up to cover his eyes, not entirely sure if he's allowed to look. A second later, and he looks anyway, peeking inbetween his fingers just in time to see Hibari diving into the water.
He's still wearing pants. So. That's a thing.
While the currents might not be so violent and strong in this part of the river, or else Tsuna doesn't think he'd have been able to get up, they're still nothing to be complacent about. That doesn't seem to bother Hibari much. As the ripples and waves in the water clear up a little, he's able to watch the wilderness god swim agilely in direct contrast to the kind of flailing that Tsuna had demonstrated not that long ago. Sliding his hands down from his face, Tsuna leans forward to watch him a little better. Without any regard to air, Hibari delves in as deep as he can apparently go, until it looks as though his fingers can reach the riverbed. He stays under there for a long while, exploring things apparently inch by inch. Certainly he stays there for so long that Tsuna is almost suspicious that he might not even need to breathe at all, as some sort of wilderness god thing, before Hibari plants his feet against the riverbed and pushes himself up.
It's kind of unfortunate, really. All that lowkey attractiveness that he'd shown while perfectly dry is now ten times as effective with his hair so wet and his hand reaching up to slick it back. So why does he have to be such a bloodthirsty asshole?
"Underground," Hibari says, laconic, and the sound of his voice snaps Tsuna out of his own despairing thoughts. He blinks.
"What?"
Hibari's stare is just as annoyed and unimpressed as before. Or maybe Tsuna is imagining the annoyed part, but it's most definitely unimpressed. He grew up around Reborn, who he's found to be a master of using only a raise of a single eyebrow to show the absolute heights his unimpressed-ness can go. It's almost kind of amazing, honestly. "There's something that used to be an underground tunnel shooting off of this river," Hibari explains. Either he finds speaking it aloud solidifies his own thoughts, or he's in a remarkably generous mood. Tsuna can't tell that, either. "If it keeps going in the direction it was pointing towards... then it might have been the river which fed the lake."
When he explains it like that... "Then the river has grown so much," Tsuna says quietly, gaze drifting back into the water as Hibari makes his way to the shore, "because it no longer has access to the lake. Combined with the drought..." Of course the lake has been dying. It's been cut off from the two things it needs to survive. "Is there any way to get past whatever is blocking that path?"
Pulling himself smoothly out of the water and up to his feet, Hibari shrugs carelessly. "It's not my concern," he says.
What. "What." Tsuna isn't naive. He understands that Hibari can be a callous person, or at least appear callous. It's just that he always thought that callousness extended to humans and other gods alone. "Why?"
Hibari just about ignores him as he leans down to gather his clothes up and slide them onto his body once again. "It's not a danger to anything," he says, matter of factly.
"But everything needs water to live!"
"And that lake is not the only source of water in this world." Hibari's eyes flash at him, but, this time, Tsuna doesn't flinch away. He's too distressed. "Plants will either grow again or perish. Animals will either try to find other places, or they will also perish." He turns away, binding his cloak together at the front neatly. "I wanted to know in case someone could be blamed, mortal or not... But this has nothing to do with anyone else. So it's not my concern."
So that's how he thinks... Tsuna watches him disappear into the forest once more, there one moment and then blending into branches and leaves so quickly as to be instantaneous. Well, he's not wrong, he guesses. A god of wilderness, out of anyone, who understand the change that happens in nature... and how not all of that is good. Maybe that's fine, for him...
But it's not fine for Tsuna.
His clothes aren't completely dry when he finally rises up onto his own two feet, still uncomfortably cool and clinging in some places to his skin. While he'd complain at another time, Tsuna has other things his mind is preoccupied towards. Standing there by the river, he stares down into the depths that are only getting all the more dark as time passes. Hibari had said that he'd only taken curiosity in case the change of the river and the drought that so badly was affecting the lake were the fault of mortals or gods. If things were to change... If things were to go back to the way they had been before the route connecting river and lake had been blocked off, would he investigate once again? It's something Tsuna ponders as he reaches up to slowly remove his own cloak and takes the fabric inbetween his scared fingers. Slowly, he begins to pluck at the edges, tearing long strips from it until the cloak has completely unraveled into nothing but cloth torn apart and limp on the ground. It's a pity, since it's served him so well, but he needs it for better reasons. Tying every strip together until it makes a long rope takes time, enough time until the moon has made its journey across the sky and the sun begins to bear down on him again. Honestly, he's thankful for it, and the way it dries out the new cord the ties to a tree and then to one wrist. Taking a deep shuddering breath, he glances back into the water again.
He's not a great swimmer. Frankly, he's not even entirely confident in his knot-tying skills. Tsuna doesn't let that stop him from going to the edge of the river, taking in another deep breath, and jumping in.
Hibari really had made it easy, honestly... The second Tsuna hits the water, he can already feel the river trying to pull him away. If it were any stronger, no doubt it would succeed, even with the rope tied about his wrist. Yet thanks to that, and thanks to the weakened pull of the water in this current dead end, Tsuna doesn't have to worry. Kicking his feet, he breaches the surface again to take in a mouthful of air. Just in case. Then it's back down again, fighting against the river, fighting against his self-made anchor. Hibari had clearly kept his eyes open when he'd been down in the water himself. Tsuna doesn't have the faintest idea how he did it. Now that he's in the same position, all he can make out are faint blurry shapes that are as bad as when he'd first tried to open his eyes while being tossed around in the river. Is it because he's not a god of the wilderness?
No, he's only a god with a too soft heart, that's what he is. So even though he can hardly see any details at all, Tsuna still does his best to kick and flail, feet shoving up against the walls of the river when he wanders a bit too close and a bit too high. In the amount of time it takes for him to search through the entire dead end, the sun has drifted past its hottest point. That means he can hardly make out the large hole all the way near to the bottom of the riverbed, a tunnel big enough for a human, for fish to swim through. At least, it had been large enough, once, before what looks like logs and large chunks of rock had clogged it up to make passage all but impossible. Perhaps it had only been a storm that had shifted things so, or maybe the subtle shiftings of the earth were to blame. Whatever happened, it's all in the past now. All that matters now is the damage that has been done. Pushing himself back up to the surface, Tsuna grabs onto the ground again and floats there for a second hacking up water. It's not something impossible to fix... Just difficult. Perhaps more effort than is worth it for any mortal he could tell. Maybe that means he, too, should just leave it alone and do as Hibari is, as Dino is, and let nature take its course with the rest of the world adjusting appropriately...
...But he's not mortal. Maybe he's not much at all, but he is at the very least not mortal, and hears a calling stronger than anyone else's voice. It's not something he can ignore... not when it's right there in front of his face. So there, up on the surface, Tsuna tilts his head back with water slick down his chin and allows his eyes to fall shut. From his forehead, inbetween strands of hair that cling to his forehead, embers spark... and burst into a single and wild flame.
Fire isn't meant to burn underwater, not normally. That kind of heat is reserved for lava, volcanoes resting deep in the sea and only sending up bubbling water. Tsuna dives back down regardless, mouth sealed shut with all his strength and forcing more and more of his energy to his flames. This is not his domain, he is not welcome here, and he ignores all of that as he reaches forward to take a large chunk of log in his hands, braces his feet against the wall, and pulls. He's not as strong as he would be up on land in the bright daylight, but he is still enough, it seems. The water vibrates, the tunnel shudders, and he tosses the log behind him to drift to the riverbed. Maybe it will be carried away by the current, pulled apart piece by piece, or maybe it will just rest there. Hopefully he hasn't disturbed the homes of any creatures which may have lived there, but Tsuna's concerns don't lie there. They are before of him, a trail of bubbling water following his hands as he reaches forward again and again. His lungs themselves nearly seem to burn as he holds his breath, taxed even worse with such taxing work. It's right as he's at the very end of it, hands tugging at a bolder larger than he is, that it occurs to him that he should take a break for more air...
The boulder budges, then keels over, more flat than round, and the weight of a whole river bearing against it smashes through.... carrying Tsuna with it.
Right at the forefront of it all, Tsuna gasps as he breaks through for a moment, taking in dry air that hasn't seen the light of day or touch of water in who knows how long. Then he's being tossed, head over heels, unable to fight against the water pouring through an old path it hasn't seen for a long, long time. It's not a clear way through. Thick roots, more rocks, pieces of debris that have been stuck from whatever natural events that have transpired... He goes crashing through all of them, god sturdy and river propelled. Air isn't a thing in this journey, not for long. Whatever breath he can get is snatched in quick moments, pockets of air that the water doesn't completely cover before he's torn away again. Everything is dark, rough, and he can't tell if it's always that way or if his vision is simply fading out. Right as he thinks this is it, his lungs longing for air that he hasn't had for too long, he crashes into the bottom of the tunnel only to go floating out. Twisting onto his back, he stares blearily up at a pale shimmering blue...
All around him, the water wraps around him like a lovelorn partner, and his eyes drift shut for only a moment.
Only a moment, he swears, he really does, and yet when he opens them again, it's to the sound of a man calling to him and skin hitting skin. His skin. Someone is smacking his face, lightly, and he wheezes back into the conscious world again. "What?" he asks, throat raw and full of bruises. At least, his body feels bruised, although it's probably healed up by now. A god's stupidity, fortunately, doesn't seem to have lasting consequences on the body itself. When he looks to the side, he expects Dino, or Reborn, but it's neither of them. Instead, it's an older man with harsh lines in his face, and his black hair swept back into spikes that are kept in place by a thick white headband. His face is a little harsh, but his eyes are kind. Concerned.
Shaking his head, the man leans back from where he's knelt besides Tsuna. "Good, you're still alive. A young man like you shouldn't throw your life away so carelessly, you know. You still have a lot to live for."
"Wasn't throwing my life away," Tsuna mumbles, blinking the water out of his eyes and looking around. He's on the shore, now. The shore of the lake. "Just.... can't swim good..." Head swimming much better than he actually can, Tsuna presses his elbows into the sand and tries to push himself up. Immediately, he starts to sway, world twisting and moving. Immediately, a hand is at his arm, holding him steady.
"In the state you're in, then I don't think you'll walk good, either," the man says. At least his voice comes in clear while the rest of the world can't. Tsuna doesn't argue at all when the man begin to heave him up, arm around his shoulders so that he doesn't go pitching forward right on his face. At the rate thing are going, Tsuna suspects it's liable to happen if he's not careful. "At least it's good that you weren't trying to end things, then. With the rate thing are going, it doesn't look good for the lake or our village, but that doesn't mean a needless death should mar the water." Carefully, the man takes a few cautious steps forward, his eyes on Tsuna the whole time. "How do you feel?"
"Bad...?" is all Tsuna can offer, for lack of any other way to describe it when his tongue is so clumsy in his own mouth. He's exhausted, soaking wet, and kind of wants to nap for a while. None of that will happen now, however. The man keeps moving him forward, although he makes sure to support Tsuna the whole way.
"Ha, well, at least you're honest." He adjusts his grip along Tsuna's shoulders. "I'll get you to my home, feed you a little, and we'll see if that does you any good. What's your name?"
"Tsuna..."
"Well, Tsuna, I'm Yamamoto. You won't have anything to worry about while I'm here with you."
Yamamoto's home is near to the center of the village, a simple little place clearly meant for one. Despite the simplicity, however, it's more a choice than anything else. Yamamoto is not a man disliked, and not one unkind. People call out to him gladly as he goes through the village, and his items are lined up neatly against the walls, away from his fire. As he's settled down against some blankets, Tsuna allows his gaze to roam and recognizes the fishing poles and hooks which take up no small amount of wall. Before he can inquire much more, Yamamoto is shoving some finely slice fish on a clay plate over to him.
"Here, have this." Straightening up, he dusts his hands off. "Fill your stomach up with something besides lake water. You don't have to worry about repaying me."
"Are you sure?"
"Don't worry about it." Yamamoto snorts, a well meaning smile curving along his face. "What kind of man would I be if I forced a boy to pay after he's nearly drowned?"
Well, if he insists. Tsuna eats slowly, not wanting to tempt fate by eating too quickly, and watches Yamamoto go about his home to straighten it out. He's never seen a home kept so neatly, save perhaps for that of his father, and even then, well.. It's less 'neat' and more 'barren'. Tsuna has wondered why, but, then, he's never been to that place often enough to justify bringing it up. At least Yamamoto's feels lived in, comfortable, and he watches him for a few minutes before a question very belated bubbles up in his mind. "How did you find me?" he asks, feeling a surge of confusion. He's a god. He shouldn't be seen. Is it because he was so weak...?
From where he's poking the fire, Yamamoto blinks back over at him. "Hm? Oh, that." Tilting his head back to stare at the ceiling, Yamamoto strokes his chin. "Would you believe me if I said that I listened to birds?"
...Okay, Tsuna isn't entirely sure what he was expecting, but that definitely wasn't it.
Yamamoto laughs brightly at the look on his face, rocking back on his heels. "Exactly! Still, it's the truth. I was leaving the lake after a day of fishing, and the local birds wouldn't stop their ruckus. Now, I understand that they're noisy, but this was something else entirely." He goes back to the fire, a contemplative smile lingering on his mouth. "I thought there was going to be some natural disaster. I've heard from my grandparents that when the first rainbow gathered in the sky, all of the horses near them were absolutely frantic but helping whoever they could. My grandmother said one helped her life. Well, swallows are something else entirely, but I thought if they were so upset... And they were all calling from around the lake." Standing up, he wipes his hands against his wide pants. "That was another thing that seemed wrong. The lake, I mean. There haven't been any strong winds today, but that wasn't stopping the waves from churning over in the lake. Would it be too poetic to say that it nearly sounded like crying?"
In the back of his head, Tsuna thinks of how the water had felt wrapped around him, aching and secure. "No," he answers, "I don't think so."
A chuckle leaves Yamamoto, and he goes to settle down on the other side of his home to face Tsuna. "Well, I followed the direction the waves were churning and the swallows were screaming, and that's where I found you. I didn't think the good embers were much for water, but I imagine He must have come through for you today."
In no small amount, Tsuna's face starts to go red. "Uh," he says, words utterly and completely failing him. Or maybe he's failing words. It's probably the second one, when he stops to think about it. "Y... eah..."
"You should make sure to leave an offering in thanks, alright?"
And that's how he ends up giving a small part of fish to a humble little shine, entirely unsure of how to explain that he's just giving himself something. Being a god is so weird, sometimes.
At least Yamamoto is kind, welcoming him into his home to stay for the night, and Tsuna waits curled up in the corner until he hears the mortal's breath even out into the deep breaths of sleep. With that confirmed, he carefully rises up to his feet again to fold his blankets to the side and leave behind his own token of thanks in the form of offerings from his other shrines. With his cloak in torn tatters somewhere in the forest and partially on his wrist, Tsuna is left with only plain clothes as he steps out of Yamamoto's home....
...and nearly right into Dino. Actually, exactly right into Dino, his nose hitting the other god's chest straight on. Tsuna gives a muffled yelp, the sound coming out funny with his noise partially squished, and Dino jolts right backwards. "Tsuna!" he says, surprised and... relieved? Rubbing his nose, Tsuna blinks up at his older brother and takes him in properly. His hair is a little more mussed up than it usually is, and he can see scrapes and bruises here and there, including one right along the curve of his jaw.
Well, there's only one explanation for that. "Was Romario not nearby?" Tsuna asks with a careful kind of exasperation, where he's trying to hide it but, well, sometimes that kind of thing simply can't be hidden. Sometimes, when he's too far away from his domain, Dino gets ridiculously clumsy. Tsuna isn't sure how that is, considering how widespread Dino's followers are, but, well, things happen, he guesses. He'd think it was a thing with all gods, but he's not entirely sure that explains him. It might just be a Dino thing when it all comes down to it.
A flush flares up along Dino's cheeks. "I was perfectly fine," he insists, although Tsuna has no idea how much he should believe him. "Something came up, and I had to do some damage control."
...Okay, maybe there's more than one explanation for this. "Did you run into Hibari...?"
"No." A pause before Dino heaves out a sigh, and a fond smile flickers across his face for a brief moment. "Not recently, anyway. Still, where were you? I was starting to get worried."
"...I ran into Hibari."
"...Ah." A single word, loaded with all the understanding in the world. Shoulders slumping in sympathy, Dino reaches over to rest his hand on Tsuna's shoulder. "I mean. Well. That sure would explain it."
It doesn't explain everything, as a matter of fact, but, well, Dino doesn't really need to know about his ridiculous journey on behalf of a fading lake. Instead, reaching up to take his brother's hand in his, Tsuna tilts his head to the side. "So if it wasn't Hibari, who was it?" Honestly, he's not expecting a lot, but Dino's face grows a little more somber. The breath he lets out is slow and steadying, and Dino begins to guide him away from the little mortal settlement.
There's no immediate answer, however. Dino thinks over his words carefully as he glances around them at the trees drying out in the unforgiving drought which has taken over the land. "This place is starting to get preyed upon," he says quietly, the moon alone being witness to their quiet conversation. Even the swallows which have made their homes so close to the lake have fallen silent, and Tsuna can't hear any other night creatures lurking about in the brush. "The drought has got people worrying, with some of them even scared about what lies for them in the future. Even while I'm working to help them, well..." His mouth twists into a grimace. "A god's work isn't always so obvious, so it's not as if they can be comforted by my work alone. That leaves them vulnerable."
Vulnerable... Tsuna's thoughts drift to a memory of ash and fire. "Do you think you could handle it on your own...?"
"Ahh...." Laughing a little bit in a way that's not exactly humorous, Dino rubs the back of his head. "I'd like to say so, but you can never tell with these kinds of things. I'd rather be safe than sorry, right? Especially with so many people under my care that I have to watch out for. Sooooo...." Raising one hand in mimic of the kind of prayer that mortals do, only so much more flippant, Dino winks down at Tsuna. "I'd really appreciate it if you could stick around a little more than I initially asked you to!"
Yep. He should have expected that, really. Tsuna heaves out an exasperated sigh. "I'm not really sure if I'll be a lot of help... I mean, I kind of can't even swim and rivers can beat me up..."
"Rivers can beat a lot of people up, so don't waste your energy doing the same thing." Dino's hand goes to his head next, ruffling it. There's not quite the same effect as when Reborn does it, but his already messy hair still feels a little messier for it. "It doesn't matter if you can't swim. That's not what I'm asking your help with, right?" He grins, bright and doofy and sunshine warm. "I'm just asking you to watch your big brother's back."
Sometimes, Dino makes things sound so easy. It's probably why he's such a charismatic god, known to so many and comforted by most of that. Tsuna sighs again, but he's smiling, this time. "Yeah. I guess I can do that."
"There we go!" Letting go of his hand, Dino smacks his back lightly, although even that nearly bowls Tsuna over. "Then let's get started right away. Darkness is exactly the kind of time that predators like to hunt!"
"Right now!?" Tsuna squeaks.
"Of course!" Dino doesn't stop grinning. If anything, the grins seems to grow, and Tsuna is faintly reminded of their father. He gets the same kind of look a whole lot, and Tsuna has found that there's nothing really good guaranteed when it shows up. "There's no rest for gods, is there? So, where do you want to start your own patrol?"
Oh boy. He's really just been dragged right into this. Desperately, Tsuna wiggles away from the brilliant god. "Near the lake! Near the lake, since it's important!" That works, right? Although it occurs to him, as he makes his hasty escape, that may just be asking for further trouble if something or someone really does come from that way... Eugh. Great. Exactly what he needs. Still, when he comes to a stop by the lakeside and watches the way water shimmers in moonlight, he can't find himself regretting anything too heavily. After all...
It's a breathtaking sight he gets to see.
Breath rustling out of him, he sinks down into a crouch at the water's edge and allows his fingertips to dangle just a breath away from the cool surface. "At least you'll be alright," he murmurs gently to the air. "And so will the humans, too, right?"
The lake doesn't answer him. Well, that was an obvious conclusion, of course. A lake can't speak, or communicate. A lake exists, and that's all. Still, he feels a little better now. There are no obvious changes to the water as far as he can see, but he knows that it must be growing, quietly and steadily. Waiting there in the peaceful dark, Tsuna contemplates the view. Yamamoto had described it as a place full of chaos, with the waves churning and the birds calling. It's hard to imagine that, with where he is sitting right now at its shores. No wind toys at the water, leaving only a calm glassy surface from which the stars' shine reflects right back. It's serene, and Tsuna can't imagine being at a place anymore beautiful.
Perhaps it was only his own selfishness that lead his actions to become as they did. Still, in the light of the moon with cool water at his fingertips, he can't find himself being particularly bothered by that fact.
Everything doesn't seem like it could be any better.