Me: This is a test run of sorts. I have been thinking about this crossover ever since I started re-watching Katekyo Hitman Reborn. With the Italian ancestry somewhat ingrained in both story-lines, I wanted to bring them together. Let me know what you think of it before I decide to post more.
"It's Dame-Tsuna!"
"Hey Dame! Why can't you do anything right?"
"Idiot~ Idiot~ Dame-Tsuna's just an idiot!"
Tears are salty, was the only thought Tsuna really had as he just looked at his tormentors emotionlessly. I don't want to cry because I don't want to taste that saltiness. Such depressing thoughts for a ten-year-old. Dragging his body away from school, the brunette decided to head a different route. Maybe they won't find me this time. Of course, this was wishful thinking. His tormentors always found him, even if he took a different direction home. After all, he was 'No Good Tsuna'.
"There he is!" With those three words, Tsuna's legs prompted him into running away. He winced as weight was put onto his left leg, the bruise that he earned from being late to school, courtesy of one Hibari Kyouya, slowed him down considerably. If he didn't think fast, those bullies would catch up to him sooner rather than later. Turning a corner, quickly so that no one noticed him and hiding behind a dumpster, Tsuna waited until the footsteps faded before allowing himself to breathe. Shivering slightly in fear, the brunette peeked out from his hiding place, scrunching his nose at the foul scent of garbage that was all around him.
"Not bad, kid." Startled, the brunette looked around for the random voice, only not to see anything. "Up here." Following the voice's command, Tsuna looked up at a dark figure sitting on the ledge of a fire-escape balcony, two-stories up. Fear clouded his judgement of the figure, yet despite that and the bad lighting, the ten-year-old could still make out baggy jeans, a white sweatshirt and black fingerless gloves. He couldn't tell if it was male or female, but by the accent Tsuna could tell they weren't from Namimori.
Now that Tsuna could see his company, he furrowed his brows in confusion at the figure's words. "What do you mean 'not bad'?" All he had done was run away, the cowardly thing to do. He briefly wondered if his father would be disappointed in him for running away before pushing that thought away. It didn't do to think about people who were barely there.
Getting up from his/her position, the figure jumped across the alleyway, using a foot to propel his/herself down safely. Barely containing a shriek, Tsuna pushed himself back to the grimy wall behind him. The figure didn't seem to take any notice, instead opting to sit on a crate across from the poor boy. "You were quick on your feet and were able to get rid of your pursuers right away, I'd say that takes talent."
Feeling his heart in his throat, Tsuna felt the sides of his eyes tear up in happiness. He . . .he had talent? Everyone, even his own mother, had called him Dame at one point or another. Yet, this stranger, had said he had talent! Granted, it was in running away, but it still made him feel happy.
"O-oi! Kid, what's wrong?!" Hands were raised in concern as the figure was up on his/her feet, fretting over the child in front of them. If anything, this made Tsuna even more happy. Rare was it was he was shown such concern and it sounded so genuine that he couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks.
Feeling the sudden need to explain, Tsuna tried to speak, "N-no one h-has c-c-called me t-talented b-before!" Using his free arm to wipe away the tears, Tsuna didn't notice the stilling of frantic hands and the dejected slump of shoulders.
A sigh was heard before Tsuna felt a hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair in a calming manner. "Are you being bullied?" The boy stilled, unsure of how to answer. He didn't want to lie to the stranger, but at the same time he didn't want to appear weak. It was a strange feeling, seeing as how he looked nothing but weak by his peers. Still, this person was kind to him in a way that no one in Namimori had been before, not even his parents, as such, he shouldn't lie to him. Not trusting his voice, Tsuna only nodded.
The figure sighed, "C'mon kid, crying doesn't fix anything." Pausing for a second, the man/woman hummed in his/her throat. "On second thought, it does get people's attention so . . .ah nevermind! Just . . .please stop crying?"
Tsuna shook his head violently, "B-b-but I'm t-trying! I-I'm n-not even s-sad! W-why am I-I c-crying?" Unable to really stop his own shaking, Tsuna just stood there, wiping his eyes continuously in a futile attempt to rid of any tears. His blunt fingernails dug into the sides of his cheeks and his wild hair ruffled itself in whatever wind it could catch. Suddenly, Tsuna couldn't feel the lightness of his hair anymore as an unfamiliar weight made its way on his head.
Strong arms wrapped around him awkwardly, one hand on his head and the other patting his back. Streams of salty water stopped as confusion settled into the forefront of his mind. Now that he was up close to the figure, Tsuna could tell that it was undeniably male. The man wasn't holding him too close, but just enough to give him a feeling of comfort. Before Tsuna could really ask what was going on, the figure let go of him.
"So, uh, sorry about that kid. But, do you feel better?" Tsuna paid attention to the voice, nodding absentmindedly as he noted that the accent actually didn't sound Japanese at all. With the brunette's mental and emotional distress fading, he could actually take in details he neglected to before.
Although the man's clothes were clean, there were odd creases, almost like he had been roughed up or had been running for a long time. His hood was up, concealing his face except for a scar across the right side of his lip. His gloves were made of leather and reached his elbow, rolling his sleeves up to make room. The front part of his white sweatshirt was zipped halfway down, revealing a plain black shirt. There was also a tattoo peeking out from under his gloves. (Tsuna couldn't see it completely, but it looked really cool.) His skin also held a much darker hue than the average Japanese, confirming the ten-year-old's suspicions about him being a foreigner.
"Hey . . . ." the man grabbed Tsuna's attention once more with a slight shake of his shoulder. The man crouched down to meet the brunette's height, letting the light shine just right so that the boy had no chance in glancing at his face. "What's your name, kid?"
Startled, Tsuna was unsure of how to answer. He was used to everyone in Namimori knowing who he was, as he had reluctantly gained a reputation being the most Dame person in down. Did he tell the stranger his full name? Or maybe his nickname? "T-Tsunayoshi," The boy compromised, not giving up his last name.
"Tsunayoshi? That's kind of a mouthful, do you have a nickname?" The words were sincere and as he didn't ask for his last name, so Tsuna obliged him.
"I-It's Tsuna." The boy lowered his head on impulse and shuffled his feet in worry. Would the stranger make fun of his name?
There was a chuckle emitted from the person in front of him. It sounded relieved, almost like the person wasn't expecting him to answer, "Well, Tsuna-kun, my name is Mamoru. Friends call me Moru."
Tsuna hesitated, the feeling in his chest was buzzing. It was equivalent to whenever his father said something about his 'work' that Tsuna could never bring himself to believe. Bravely, he spoke up, "That's . . .not your real name, is it?" Blushing in embarrassment, Tsuna glanced up at the figure wondering if he was angry.
Once again, there was a chuckle, although it was much more dejected than before, "Yeah, no. I . . .choose a Japanese name because a lot of people here have trouble pronouncing my real name."
Curiosity peaked, Tsuna lifted his head a little more, "W-what's your real name?"
A sigh left Mamoru's lips, "It's Desmond."
Big brown doe eyes blinked at the name. He rubbed his tongue on the roof of his mouth, tasting it before trying to say it. Desmond gave a hearty laugh at the failed attempt, correcting Tsuna's pronunciation here and there until he got it down. Scrunching his nose in frustration, Tsuna huffed, "I think I like 'Mamoru' better."
"Pff, you and all my co-workers. Ah! Which reminds me, I gotta get to work soon."
Pouting, Tsuna looked up at Desmond with slightly watery eyes and quivering hands. "W-will I ever see you again?" Yes, the boy knew he was looking slightly pitiful, but the man had been so nice to him.
Rubbing the back of his head with his right hand, Desmond sighed. "I live around here, so I don't see why not. Problem is I work at night, and you're at school during the days." Lifting his other hand to point at the fire escape he had jumped down from, Desmond continued, "Tell you what, I live right here. If you need to get away from the bullies right after school, I'll be here. My shift starts around five but ends at two in the morning, so just be here before then and we should be good."
Tsuna nodded. As long as he didn't get detention then he could come back and visit Desmond! Bouncing a little, the young boy picked up his bag, looking at the figure in slight wonderment. Dashing out of the alley, Tsuna looked back at the man who had effectively given him hope. The hooded figure was waving him a goodbye and the brunette could make out a slight smile on scarred lips, "See you later, Mamoru-nii-chan!"
Me: Yes, yes, yes, it's Desmond. I dunno why, but I think out of all the Assassin's Creed main characters, Desmond can relate to Tsuna the most. Always put down for being the weakest, forced into a situation they didn't want, strong Italian roots ect, ect. Furthermore, I can see Desmond being the best with kids. It's a bit of a headcannon, but it's easy to imagine him playing with all the children at the Farm and skiving off on his chores or training or something.
