A/N: Thank you all for the favorites and followers, I didn't expect this to blow up so quickly. Apparently the universe decided I shouldn't be happy on my birthday since my sister seemed determined to make my day miserable and my step-father's friend just passed away. Sorry, just needed to vent a little.
The new wu featured in this chapter is inspired by Suzuri no Tamashii or an ink stone spirit that creates phantom sounds and characters from stories it has written.
Unexpected Reunion
Tsuna was glad to have someone suffer with him through Reborn's torture that was thinly veiled as "training." Both teens were covered from head to toe with deli meats, running from a pack of hungry dogs. A few times Jack had fallen behind, yelping as Tsuna pulled him away from sharp teeth. "Don't you have a fear of dogs? This is messed up on so many levels." Jack wheezed, positive he was about to cough up a lung. There was a reason he pushed for homeschooling, online he didn't have to deal with physical education. He had some muscle due to lifting heavy machinery and avoiding death by element from the monks. Other than that he was as lazy as any other teen.
"You should have seen our trip to the zoo. It was a complete disaster and we almost got eaten by lions. Gokudera blew up the enclosure and set them free." Tsuna says, Jack shooting him a jealous glare since Tsuna's breathing didn't resemble a dying fish like his own. Instead of his nostrils flaring and occasional sound of a dying whale like Jack, he took deep breaths and set a pace for himself. Two of his guardians were on sports teams and occasionally gave him tips when it came to stamina training.
Jack let out a high pitched scream as one of the dogs caught a lucky break, catching the edge of his coat and pulled him backwards. Tsuna gave a tired sigh before attempting to remove Jack from the dog pile. A chihuahua latched onto his arm, dark brown eyes with a demonic glint and a low growl that had no business coming from an animal that small. Reborn smirked from atop the fence. "Tap into your flames Spicer, one of them might have rabies." It wasn't true of course, but seeing that terrified expression was priceless. The redhead didn't have a seal blocking off his flames like Tsuna and subconsciously used them when fighting to lessen damage to his body. Reborn was determined to make Jack summon the flames on demand instead of by a fluke.
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After Reborn had his fill of entertainment they walked to Takesushi. Tsuna and Jack collapsed in one of the booths, covered in scratches and bite marks. "I swear, that chihuahua has to be possessed." Tsuna groans, voice muffled by the seat currently serving as a bed. He noted to thank Takeshi's father for opting to go with padded seats instead of cheap plastic ones. "I wouldn't too surprised." Jack says, his body slumped over a table. Tsuyoshi walked over to their table with a pitcher of water and two glasses, giving the teens a look of sympathy. Even as a teacher Reborn showed no mercy. Jack looked up at the former assassin with stars in his eyes. "You are officially my favorite human." He says, Tsuna feigned a hurt expression. "I thought I was your favorite human."
Jack appeared to think it over for a moment. "Second favorite then." The genius amended, causing Tsuna to snicker. Tsuyoshi watched the interaction between the two, it was a welcome sight to see the usually tense Sky able to joke around with someone his own age. It wasn't that Tsuna wasn't on good terms with his other guardians, Jack just understood him and his struggles better. Both were tossed into something bigger than themselves by an outside force and they bonded over it. It was also the only bond that grew naturally instead of being pushed by Reborn. Jack gulped down the water greedily, giving the man a bright grin.
A bell softly chimed and Tsuna's Storm and Rain guardian walked into the restaurant. As always, it seemed Gokudera was having a one-sided argument with Yamamoto. Jack and Tsuna both groaned. "Could you please lower your voice a little?" Tsuna asks warily, he did not need a headache on top of exhaustion. Takeshi just laughed. "It's nice to relax after a good workout isn't it?" Jack and Tsuna both looked at the teen blankly.
Finally, Jack spoke. "If you think it's that fun, why don't you ask Reborn to train you as well?" Tsuna wasn't heartless enough to put someone through that torture but Jack didn't give a damn. "I've already got my hands pretty full with baseball practice and training with Pops. It can't be that bad." He says with a laid back grin. "Are you sure he isn't secretly a monk?" Jack whispers, Tsuna was wondering why the sanest person he knew was the one that wanted world domination.
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With the amount of flame activity near Namimori, it wasn't a surprise that a shen gong wu activated in the area. Tsuna and Jack were sleeping off their exhaustion when they were woken up by a combination of hyper intuition and a blaring klaxxon ringtone. "Jack." Tsuna growled, glaring at the red head. The goth fumbled to turn the sound off. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting a wu to be in the area." He says sheepishly. "All this magic is giving me a headache." Tsuna grumbles.
"Oh?" Tsuna and Jack both froze at the squeaky voice, silently willing the owner to leave them in peace. Reborn had a sadistic gleam in his eyes that spelled trouble for everyone involved. "This will be a wonderful way to see whether your training has stuck. Let's go." Reborn says, pointing a green gun at them.
The wu was only a few miles away and Reborn had taken Jack's helipack so both teens were forced to walk to the location. "So Tsuna, what direction does your spider sense tell us to go?" Jack asks, Tsuna shot the teen a glare. "Hyper intuition. And it's on Death Mountain." Tsuna says with a shiver. Jack stopped, his eyes wide. "Why is there a place called Death Mountain within walking distance of town?" Jack exclaims. Tsuna huffed. "At least you haven't camped there. We barely got away with our lives last time and nearly got killed by a giant turtle." He says with a scowl.
"How big we talking?" Jack asks. "Think Godzilla sized, but with the ability to grow after absorbing water. It landed in a river." Tsuna deadpanned. Jack winced.
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"Awesome! The next wu is in Japan!" Kimiko cheered, excited to be back in her homeland. Raimundo crossed his arms. "So what does this new wu do anyways?" He asks, Omi opened a scroll and watched as the ink dragon swirled before settling on a picture. "The Inkwell of Life." The small monk read, watching as a figure used a brush to animate drawings. "Ah, that one was a doozy. It activated a few centuries ago and fell into the hands of a shogun. Thankfully they were a horrible artist." Dojo says jokingly, Omi narrowed his eyes. "This wu sounds most dangerous. We must not let it fall into Heylin hands." He says solemnly.
Jack had activated his Monkey Staff, jumping from tree to tree to find the wu. Tsuna let his intuition guide him, feeling awkward with the sash tied around his waist that Jack had given him. He was given a crash course in using the Third Arm Sash, just in case he stumbled into a Xiaolin Showdown. Knowing his horrible luck it was inevitable. He felt the beginning of a migraine and winced. "This way Jack, we should be close!" Monkey Jack shrieked in response, following close behind.
Dojo eventually found a clearing to land in that was close enough to Tsuna and Jack for the monks to hear Jack's shriek. Omi's face brightened. "Spicer had returned!" He exclaimed, ecstatic to see his frenemy once again. Clay nodded. "I was starting to worry bout 'im. Sounds right as rain to me." The Texan comments, Raimundo rolled his eyes. "Doesn't matter. All we need to do is kick his butt and we've got this wu in the bag."
The inkwell was in an abandoned shrine, the wooden structure falling apart due to years of neglect. It was barely visible through the overgrown weeds that had overtaken the structure. "What do you think it is?" Jack asks, deactivating the Monkey Staff. Tsuna squinted, trying to see through the plants. "A small container I think. We should grab it before your friends decide to show up." He says, the forest too quiet for his comfort. "Jack Spicer! Make yourself visible!"
Four children of different ethnic backgrounds emerged from the trees. The tallest had a bulky frame and wore a cowboy hat, reminding Tsuna of the form Jack's Chameleon-bot had previously taken. Another was tanned with short brown hair and a confident smirk. The second shortest was a girl, her hair mainly black with pink highlights. The smallest, and youngest, was a bald boy that was only half Tsuna's height. He reminded Tsuna of I-Pin for some odd reason. "What he means to say is show yourself." Raimundo says, used to being a slang translator for Omi.
"I was hoping I wouldn't run into you jerks." Jack says, taking a defensive stance. Tsuna grimaced in pain once again. "Jack, they aren't the only company we have. Grab the wu, quick!" There was a husky chuckle. "It seems you brats are having a reunion. How quaint." A woman's voice says in amusement. Tsuna and the others felt a chill as Wuya and a silent Chase made themselves known. The ancient Chinese demon looked to Jack and smirked. "Hello Spicer."