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Giotto was having a fine day. A swell day, in fact. The sun was shining (in more ways than one, because Knuckle deserved happiness, okay?), and there wasn’t a Mist or Cloud in sight (also in more ways than one, because if Alaude and Daemon weren’t in his sight, he could pretend he never saw them fighting in the first place). G had been nice enough to split his paperwork, so now he had two stacks instead of four, Lampo had actually done his duties for once, and Asari was back from Japan!
Oh, and the cherry on top: Simon was visiting today! If that wasn’t cause enough for celebration, he wasn’t sure what was. Simon was always busy, it seemed, not like Giotto could say he himself wasn’t. Between the sheer amount of paperwork that came with being Don of a Famiglia and managing guardians (because Simon’s guardians were almost as bad as his, honestly, Amaryllis was scary with how overprotective she was of her boss), they never seemed to have any free time.
None. Nada. Zero. Even G had the time to go hunt down whoever wronged him or whatever he did in his free time. But not Giotto, no, he was swamped with paperwork because his errant guardians could not work together. Each day was a headache and a half.
But Simon. Simon was lucky to have Earth flames and thus have to deal with less people. Vongola was huge and thus produced more paperwork, but the Cozart family was made up of about twenty to thirty people. Twenty to thirty troublesome people, but it had to produce less paperwork than Vongola’s over eight hundred. Which was why, if Simon and Giotto ever got time to spend together, it was always Simon coming over and never the other way around. If Giotto had to visit, he’d be followed by horses carrying stacks of paperwork, and no one likes someone who brought their work to vacation. So Simon always visited.
Giotto almost cried when he finished the first stack of papers. He glanced over to G, who was almost done. “G?” he said meekly. Even though the other man was he childhood friend and highly devoted to him, sometimes Giotto also felt his friend’s ever justified wrath, albeit at a toned down level. And G’s wrath, no matter how toned down, was scary.
G grunted in reply. “What do you want?” he asked, pen still scratching at the paper.
“Can you do my paperwork for me?” Giotto requested, putting on his most pitiful face. “Please?”
His right-hand took one look at his face and said, blunt as ever, “No.”
This time, Giotto actually cried while obediently doing his work. As his pen scritch-scratched at the page, he felt his anxieties pile up, one by one. What if he finished late? Then he wouldn’t be able to meet Simon at the front gate, and Amaryllis would get the wrong idea and think he no longer cared about Simon, and then she’d ban Simon from ever seeing him ever again, and Simon would have no choice but follow because Amaryllis was scary, really scary, and then Giotto would cry because he’d have to explain the whole misunderstanding to Amaryllis but even if she did understand he’d never be able to see Simon again because she’d still not trust him anymore and Giotto would be lonely for life and die a horrible, lonely death!
He wailed as he completed page after page, fueled by his dying will. No, he would not die lonely! He’d show Amaryllis he’d always care about Simon and their alliance!
After he finished his paperwork, of course. Which, to his surprise, he was well past three-fourths done with. Maybe G really did have something going on there when he said Giotto worked better with a gun to his head. The fear of dying lonely was gun enough.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Giotto’s fine day, aside from the paperwork, was ruined by Amaryllis. It wasn’t the woman herself that was the problem though, no, it was who she carried in her arms: Simon. His bright red hair and compass shaped pupils were identification enough, no matter how hazy his eyes might be.
“You have to help!” the woman shouted, a panicked gleam in her eyes. “We have no idea what’s wrong!”
“Simon?” Giotto whispered, breath hitching when there was merely a weak whimper in reply.
G, ever the dependable man, said, “I will get Knuckle to check up on him. Amaryllis, you come with me. We need you to help identify what is wrong with Cozart.” At Amaryllis’ stubborn refusal, G said, “Giotto can watch over Cozart, they will be fine. Do not worry.”
The moment Amaryllis had laid Simon on the cot in the office, which was there in case of emergencies, and left, Giotto rushed to his best friend’s side. “Simon!” Giotto shouted, wiping away tears. “Do not die on me.”
Simon managed a weak grin. “Just… in case…” the redhead managed to croak out, “I… have to tell you a secret… If I don’t live through whatever’s happening… I need you to know this…”
In record time, G and Amaryllis were back, Knuckle in tow. “I’ll see what I can do,” the priest said grimly. “But I can not guarantee it will work.”
Amaryllis replied, “I do not care, just do something!” The worried mania in her voice was obvious for all to hear, but Giotto had only ears for Simon.
He asked, “What is it?” in a quiet, hushed voice.
Simon coughed wetly, though nothing came out. “I’m… a… demon… hunter...” he managed to get out before collapsing.
“Simon? Simon!” Giotto shouted, gently shaking the other man. He gasped when the body began to glow white under his hands. Soon, it was so bright, he had to close his eyes lest he lose his eyesight.
When he opened his eyes again, Simon was replaced… by Simon?
“Simon?” Giotto croaked out as the other man (boy?) hopped off the bed. He was younger and had bandages on his face, that was for sure, but the bright red hair and compass eyes were unmistakable. It had to be Simon, right?
“Eh? Is that you, Tsuna? Why are you older, and why is your hair yellow?” Younger-Simon asked, puzzled.
“Tsuna?” Who was this Tsuna person?
Suddenly, Amaryllis rushed over to scoop Younger-Simon into one of her bone-crushing hug. “Thank the Lord you are alright,” she gasped. “I was so worried!”
Younger-Simon only looked even more confused. “Adelheid? You’re usually not this cuddly,” he said, patting her back hesitantly. “Uh… you can let go now.”
Amaryllis let go, but her face was screwed into something confused too. “Adelheid? My name is Amaryllis, Simon. Surely you remember that?”
“Amaryllis? Simon? As in, Simon Cozart? He’s my ancestor,” Not-Simon said. He suddenly looked contemplative. “Unless… it actually worked?!”
G stepped forward. “What worked? You will explain,” he said darkly. “Start with your name.”
Not-Simon laughed. “You look just like Gokudera-kun, and you act like him, too! Oh… but that means you’ll probably blow me up if I don’t explain, huh. Okay, well, my name’s Enma Kozato, or, in Japan, Kozato Enma, and...”
The redhead then proceeded to explain exactly what had happened in a way no one could really follow. It took about ten minutes into when he started talking about gods and angels and demons that Knuckle decided to stop him.
“Are you, by any chance, blessed by God, too?” the priest asked, hand over the cross he wore.
Enma cocked his head to the side, as if trying to translate the other man’s words. Until finally, he responded, “Oh, you mean the Sight? Yeah, I have it. Anyone who’s been through a certain amount of trauma has it.”
“I see,” he murmured, nodding. “Did God bring you here?”
“Ah, no,” Enma replied sheepishly. “Actually, Gokudera-kun was just curious whether man-made time machines were possible.”
G’s brows were furrowed to the point they made an angry V on his forehead. “So you are from the future,” he said slowly. “Would that not make a paradox, then?”
Enma’s eyes brightened considerably, seeming passionate about the subject. “No, not at all!” he said. “Actually, time travel is one of the leading causes of alternate universes. Byakuran told me a little about them after my first stint to the past, and it’s been super interesting. The name, time travel, is pretty misleading since you’re actually traveling to an alternate universe. Most people don’t know it since it’s actually really dangerous, and the alternate universe is on the same level as the universe you come from. The only reason I was able to make the trip is because Simon’s ‘aura’ of sorts is similar enough to mine. But I digress.”
Giotto frowned. “I fail to see how that applies to our situation.”
“Er…” Enma sighed, body heaving. “I’m not good at this. But Gokudera-kun said that since I’m the one with the most experience with time travel, I had to do this. Okay, what I’m saying is that you guys shouldn’t need to worry about paradoxes. Whenever you travel forward or backwards, you’re traveling to alternate universes that are of the same branching universe, if that makes sense? And since you’re traveling to alternate universes, anything I do won’t have an impact on my world but will impact this world.”
“Right,” G responded, nodding. Giotto noted that his eyebrows were unfurrowed. “What happened to Simon?”
“He disappeared, right?” At the other man’s nod, Enma explained, “Time travel is risky because you need someone who has a similar energy to you to take your place, usually a relative or yourself, although sometimes you’ll switch with random people. This is because the universe’s energy is naturally balanced, so it will try to expel foreign or excess energy, which time travel essentially is doing, adding foreign and excess energy. By switching with someone of similar energy, however, the universe’s energy balances and the new energy will not be expelled.”
“What happens if you cannot find people with similar energy?” G asked, curious.
Enma looked grim. “You die. That’s why I was chosen out of everyone else. My energy is more malleable since I’ve traveled through a lot more universes.”
Amaryllis frowned. “Simon’s not dead, right?” Her voice promised pain if she didn’t receive the answer she wanted.
Hearing this, Enma stuttered out a “No, no!” He elaborated, “Simon switched places with me, in my universe. He’s not dead. So you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Then,” Amaryllis said, threatening as ever, “why was he sick before you came?”
“Sick?” Enma asked, perplexed. “Aside from a bit of lethargy, you usually don’t feel ‘sick’.”
Knuckle stepped forward and said, “It was not sickness. I believe it was a demon.”
At the realization, Enma cursed under his breath. “If it’s a demon, then Tsuna and Gokudera might take a while to exorcise it. Our technology is better than yours, but our world’s energy is a lot more tainted. Demon exorcism takes at least a month or two, and I know they’ll want to make sure all traces are gone before they send him back. I might be staying for a while. Sorry.”
“Is there no way to reverse this?” Amaryllis asked, her voice desperate.
Enma was apologetic. “I’m sorry. If a god or angel sent me back, that usually means I’d have to complete a task. In this case though, I’m stuck here until Gokudera-kun starts the machine again, which he won’t do if there are still traces of a demon.”
Giotto sighed. “Alright.” He glanced towards Amaryllis. “He is not lying. I will have G prepare a spare room for his stay here. G?”
“On it,” his right-hand man replied, halfway to the door.
He glanced towards Knuckle. “Knuckle, you’re the one with the most experience with the supernatural. Do you have any idea as to what to do?”
The boxer looked contemplative. “Simon, I know, did a lot of purifying. Many places depended on him to ward away demons or other malevolent spirits.” He glanced towards Enma. “I am assuming you have experience in this, correct? We may need you to take over his job.”
The redhead nodded. “Got it. I have my rosary, but it’s not too great with high-level purification spells. If you can lend me a few materials and show me where, I’ll do it.”
“Right. I am sure that can be arranged.” Giotto moved his gaze towards Amaryllis. “Can you keep Simon’s disappearance a secret between the guardians? The least we need is a rival family learning that he is gone and attacking.”
Amaryllis pursed her lips. “The Cozart family has always been rather tight-knit, so hiding Simon’s disappearance will be hard. However, we have always kept to ourselves as well, so I do not think you need to worry about other families attacking.”
“Good. You do not mind if he stays with us for the time being, correct?”
“No. I do believe it will be easier to explain that Simon is missing rather than explain that someone else has taken his place. As his right-hand woman, I can lead the family for now.” She smiled predatorily. “I do, however, want permission to visit Enma whenever I would like. If he disappears, who knows where and when Simon may wake up.”
Giotto smiled. “I’m sure that can be arranged. Will you leave now? I can have the cooks prepare something for you.”
Amaryllis nodded. “Thank you, Vongola. Farewell.”
The blond raised a hand. “Farewell.” He turned to look at Knuckle. “You are dismissed.” When he was sure they were all gone, he whirled around so he was facing Enma.
The other boy looked nervous. “Uh. Hi.”
Giotto did not respond, preferring to stare at Enma.
“Uhm. I’m Enma. You’re Giotto. My best friend’s ancestor. Wow.”
Silence.
“Your eyes. Remind me of him. They’re a really pretty shade of gold.”
Suddenly, Giotto tackled Enma and began to wail. “Wahhh!!!! Iㅡ” hiccup “ㅡwas really looking forward toㅡ” hiccup “ㅡspending time withㅡ” hiccup “ㅡSimon, too!!!” he cried, sobbing on the redhead’s shoulder. “We were going toㅡ” hiccup “ㅡgo downtown and talk and stuff!!”
“There, there,” Enma murmured awkwardly, patting Giotto’s shoulder. “Uh… it’s okay. We can go downtown and talk, too.” When Giotto would not stop crying, he tried again. “We can… uh… split the paperwork, I guess. So I won’t be completely freeloading.”
This got Giotto to quit crying. “R-really?” he asked, eyes shining. “You mean it?”
“Yeah. I handle paperwork too, because I’m the head of the Simon famiglia in the future, too.” Enma smiled. “It’s not so bad having me around, right?”
“Yay! Enma, you’re the best!” Giotto squeezed the redhead, burying his face into the crook of his neck. “I love you so much!”
Enma blushed. “Might not want to say that so loudly,” he mumbled, hesitantly squeezing back. “But, uh, thanks, I guess?”
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
When Enma wasn’t handling purification rites or performing exorcisms, he, true to his word, split Giotto’s paperwork and chatted with him. When they had time, they would go downtown and fool around, as friends do. Enma even joined the Vongola family for dinner, along with Giotto and his guardians.
“It’s nice to meet you,” he had said, polite as ever. “My name is Enma Kozato, or Kozato Enma as I am known as in my homeland.”
“A pleasure,” Asari said, smiling brightly. “My name is Asari Ugetsu. Are you by chance Japanese as well? It is a rare sight to find those of my ethnicity in Italy. We should have tea together one day.”
“Of course,” Enma responded easily. “It would be nice.”
Alaude grunted in greeting. Oddly enough, Enma only seemed to smile at that.
Daemon was next. “You will have to excuse Alaude. I’m afraid the Skylark is rather shy.” Alaude glared at the Mist, as if that would dissuade the Mist from continuing, “He is bad with people, you will have to understand. However, it is nice to meet you too, Enma. I am Daemon Spade. I hope we meet again.”
Though Enma returned Daemon’s well wishes, Giotto did not miss the stiffness in his shoulders, and judging by Daemon’s squint, neither did he. He would have to ask the redhead what Daemon did to bother him one day, he supposed.
Lampo raised a lazy hand in greeting. “Nice to meet you or whatever,” he mumbled. “The name is Lampo.”
G slapped him on the head for that lazy greeting, saying something about ‘being more polite to a guest.’ Lampo only whined in return.
“I hope you enjoy your stay here,” G said. “I am G. Just G.”
“As always, a pleasure, G.”
A few weeks into his stay, Enma invited the Guardians to a purification rite. “It’s for a smaller town, but it’s very popular,” he said. “Many people come to see it, and there is a festival afterwards. Perhaps you might enjoy the day off.”
Knuckle nodded along. “God blesses the town each year! It is quite the ultimate experience!” he shouted as means of explanation.
G snorted. “Listen here, you crazy priest. No matter what you say, I am not converting to Christianity.”
“It’ is not a conversion. It is a purification rite,” Enma said, huffing slightly. “They overlap, but ridding a town of evil spirits is different from simply praying, though praying is often involved. I myself am not Christian despite the part I play in it.”
Daemon hummed. “Elena has been quite excited about going to such festivals,” he commented, eying Enma curiously. “I would be interested in bringing her, if that would be possible. I am sure she would find it an intriguing experience, especially with a friend playing a large role in the ceremony.”
Enma seemed to relax slightly at the mention of Elena. “Of course she can come along,” he said. “I definitely would not mind it.”
Giotto chirped, “I think the idea is wonderful! You can think of it as a Guardian bonding experience!”
G rolled his eyes. “You just want to get out of paperwork,” the pinket snorted. “Fine, whatever.”
“The food better be good,” Lampo muttered.
Alaude just humphed, but Giotto knew that if the rest of the Guardians were going, Alaude was going as well.
“Great!” Giotto turned towards Enma. “When is this?”
Enma tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Two days’ time, I believe. I must leave earlier to prepare, but Knuckle should know the way.”
“I ultimately do!” the priest shouted, pumping his fist. “You can ultimately count on me!”
G rolled his eyes, muttering something about ‘crazy priests.’
“Sounds like a plan!”
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
Two days came both too quickly yet not quickly enough. While Giotto fretted over looking too dressed up or not looking formal enough, the rest of his guardians (plus one Elena) were all ready to go.
“Come on, Giotto! Enma will be more concerned if we are late!” G shouted, bodily dragging his boss out of the room. “If you spend more time concerned over your appearance, people will think you have crush on him or something!”
“But but but but but!” Giotto whined, trying to crawl back. “If I don’t dress for the occasion, Enma might think I’m a slob or too uppity!”
“This is not a date!” G yelled, shoving him into the carriage. “I will sit on you, do not try me Giotto.”
Giotto sighed, wiping away tears. “You are so mean, G,” he sobbed, breath hitching. “I-if this were Enma, h-he would be c-comforting m-m-me!”
“There, there.” Elena pat his back. “Giotto, sometimes you are much too sensitive.”
“Uwahhh!!! Elena, y-you get it!” He pulled her into a hug, sobbing into her shoulder. “Y-you are s-s-so much b-better than a-all those m-m-meanies!”
Daemon chuckled evilly. “Giotto, if you do not let go this moment, I will curse you.”
Hearing the danger in his Mist Guardian’s tone, Giotto let go of Elena, instead sobbing into his knees. “Waaaahhh, you guys are a-all s-so mean!!!” he cried the entire way there. Asari tried comforting him, though to no avail. It seemed as if only Enma could stop his tears now.
As if on second nature, Giotto’s tears stopped the moment they arrived in the town where the purification rite was being held. “We are here!” Knuckle hollered, but Giotto was already out, intent on seeing Enma as soon as possible.
“What has happened since I last visited?” Elena asked, amused at Giotto’s newfound antics.
G shrugged. “It seems he has fallen in love,” he observed. “Can you see the hearts in his eyes whenever he looks at Enma? I sure can.”
Elena stared before shrugging. “I do believe I can as well,” she replied. “How quaint!”
“It can be entertaining, but oftentimes, it is simply a pain. Sometimes I wish I could just separate the two permanently, but I think that would be too cruel to Enma. He seems to enjoy Giotto’s company, though for whatever reason, I find hard to understand.” He groaned fondly. “Giotto is a pain. A good pain, but a pain nonetheless.”
The other woman chuckled. “I can understand. Daemon is much the same way.”
“Ah, G, Miss Elena! Should we go now?” Asari asked, approaching them.
G yelped. “Don’t do that, idiot!” he shouted, flicking Asari on the forehead. “But yes, we should get going, before I lose sight of Giotto. Who knows what he will do without me.” He then ran off. “Giotto! Giotto! Come back here, right this instant!”
Asari hid a laugh with his sleeve. “Ah, young love,” he said, smiling happily. “And G is the harassed mother of his lovestruck son. Never ceases to amuse me.”
“Ah, Enma does seem like quite the good fellow, does he not?” Elena asked. “He has captured the heart of Giotto and gained the respect of G. I must say, that is a rather difficult feat to do both.”
“I suppose so.” Asari shrugged. “Then again, Enma does do most of Giotto’s paperwork for him, and rather neatly too, according to G. It is rather easy to see why he has Giotto’s heart and G’s respect.”
Elena raised an elegant eyebrow. “That does clear things up quite a bit,” she hummed. “Now, let us go! I do not wish to miss this rite!”
“Of course, of course. Before Daemon gets mad at me.” He offered her an elbow. “Let us go.”
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
The purification rite was very interesting, to say the least. It involved a local priest, who was an old man in attire much like Knuckle’s, and someone with a strong spiritual core. Normally, that role was usually played by Simon, but since Simon was gone, Enma replaced him. A rosary hung from his neck, and he was dressed from head to toe in pure white, the only exception being the rosary. Though most of his skin was covered, if he shifted his arms only a little, the audience could make out red markings drawn onto his skin.
“Wow,” Elena breathed. “It’s so solemn.”
The moment the clock struck noon, the rite began. “We hold this rite,” the priest explained, “to allow the Lord to purify our souls.”
Most of the ceremony was filled with praying and chanted hymns. Though some of the Guardians (G in particular) refused to pray while some others (Knuckle) did so wholeheartedly, they seemed to enjoy the ceremony so far. The songs were definitely special, and the exposure to the town’s unique culture was enjoyable too.
Finally, the climax of the ceremony began. “We will now begin the purification,” the priest announced as Enma kneeled down. He dipped two of his fingers in a red liquid before painting some sort of circle and pressing his hands onto it. The town seemed to hold its breath when a warm energy washed through it, cleansing whatever pieces of coldness that might have attached themselves to its residents and guests.
To the Guardians’ surprise, they felt their flames grow stronger and purer within them. If they had any less control over their flames, they knew that some probably would have escaped. When the energy seemed to rebound back towards Enma, they saw the red markings, which were previously the crimson of the man’s hair, turn a darker maroon, almost black, while the circle seemed to dry up on stage.
“The messiah shall now bathe themselves while we cleanse ourselves of the residue sin,” the priest said after reciting another prayer.
As if on cue, the residents of the town separated into male and female and lined up to use the public bathhouses.
“After this is the three-day festival,” Knuckle said excitedly. “It is the ultimate event!”
Asari laughed as he washed himself. “That sounds like fun. Can we stay for another day?”
Giotto shrugged. “I do not see why not,” he replied. Mindful of the people around him, he whispered, “But did you guys feel it too? The thing with our flames?”
“Yeah,” Lampo yawned. “It was really weird. I could feel electric sparks dancing on my skin.”
“I too felt the strengthening of our flames,” Daemon said, flexing his hand. “It was an interesting experience, to say the least.”
“Is that the true nature of the purification rite? To strengthen one’s will?” Asari asked, stepping out of the pool. “If so, that sounds like a rather interesting concept.”
Even Knuckle looked unsure. “Perhaps. I will have to ask Enma about it later.”
“I see.”
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
The festival was fun, of that Giotto was sure, but he was more concerned with Enma. “Are you alright?” he asked for the nth time that day as Enma stumbled over something on the street.
Enma offered him an exasperated smile. “I am fine, Giotto, just little tired.” He waved to yet another stranger who offered him his thanks. “Since I have not yet dedicated myself to a single religion, nor have I exactly reached enlightenment, I usually leave the purification stuff to Shittopi. She is much better at it than me, which admittedly is not that hard.”
Giotto pouted at the subtle self-deprecation. “You were fine!” he claimed. “Really great, in fact!”
“Ah, you need not lie,” Enma said, yawning. “I have long accepted my inability to purify large areas. Exorcism is okay, but never purification.”
“What is the difference?” Giotto kicked another pebble out of Enma’s way. “Are they not just the same thing?”
“Eh, sort of. Exorcism is usually more specific though, while purification is on a broader scale and usually involves smaller demons. Tinier sins, if you understand me.”
Giotto nodded even though he clearly did not. “I see,” he said. “Why does religion play such a big deal then?”
“Well, the purer one is, the easier purification is,” Enma explained. “That is why reaching enlightenment is a big deal for many exorcists. I, however, never really had the chance, nor the motivation.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” Giotto smiled warmly at him. “But I do not think many people could have pulled off what you did, Enma. You sell yourself too short.”
Enma laughed a little. “I suppose I sometimes do,” he replied, staring up at the sky. “The stars are out,” he commented.
“So they are,” Giotto responded, settling the two of them onto an isolated bench. He knit their fingers together and smiled when the other man made no move to pull away. “Does purification include confessions?”
“Sometimes,” Enma responded. “Do you have something to confess?” Both of them pointedly ignored the way Enma seemed to glow slightly in the dark, a glow that was only getting brighter with each passing second.
“Yes, I do,” Giotto murmured. “I think I might have fallen for you.”
Enma lips turned upwards in a bitter expression. “I think I might have too,” he said. “Good-bye.”
“Good-bye,” Giotto mumbled. “And farewell.”
“May we cross paths again.”
“Yes, may we cross paths again.”
The world flashed white, and Enma Kozato was gone.