Disclaimer: Hitman Reborn is copyright to Akira Amano. I do not own these characters.
Chrome is a girl from a wealthy family. Tsuna is a soot covered chimney sweep. What happens when the two meet?
Tsuna stood from his seat on the snow covered sidewalk, and began to wipe the caked on soot from his hands and arms. He stopped a few seconds later when he realized it wasn't doing any good, and what he really needed was a nice hot bath, unfortunately being a chimney sweep, hot baths were hard to come by. He sighed heavily and shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked out over the city of London. Although it was covered in snow, and the sky above was just as white as the snow itself, the city was still beautiful. He looked to his left when he heard running footsteps coming his way. It was Gokudera, with something in his hand that Tsuna couldn't make out. Gokudera stopped in front of Tsuna and placed one hand on his knee, trying to catch his breath. Tsuna looked down at his hands, and saw that the object he was holding was a loaf of bread.
"Look tenth! I got it from your favorite bakery." Gokudera said as soon as he could breathe. Tsuna couldn't help the small smile that formed on his lips at how considerate his friend was.
"Thank you Gokudera, I appreciate it. But I keep telling you to stop calling me that," said Tsuna as Gokudera split the loaf in half and handed Tsuna the bigger piece.
"But you are the tenth, tenth! The tenth apprentice to the Master Reborn! That's an honor I say." Gokudera said after swallowing his bite of bread. Tsuna took small bites out of his half, he had waited too long to eat and now he wasn't that hungry anymore. He gave his leftovers to Gokudera, who accepted them only when Tsuna reassured him that it was okay. Tsuna let his eyes drift back into the streets of London.
The town was bustling with so many people, it was astonishing. It seemed the bad weather had had no effect on the attitudes of the London civilians. They still laughed and talked as thought the sun was shining brightly. Tsuna was watching a mother and child hold hands as they walked down the street, when something white caught his eye. It was a girl in a nice white dress carrying two bags of groceries. Tsuna couldn't keep his eyes off her as she moved through the crowd of people that were on the sidewalk. Tsuna could see, even from across the street that she was having a little trouble carrying her bags. It was to be expected. Those bags did have many things in them, and the girl seemed to petite be able to handle such a thing. Tsuna was crossing the street before he knew it. He ignored the calls he got from Gokudera, asking him where he was going. The girl was so mesmerizing to him. She had this special glow about her that made Tsuna just entranced by her.
It didn't take him long to catch up to her, since she was going at a slow pace so as not to spill her things. Tsuna tapped her on the shoulder and she turned around to face him. As soon as she did, Tsuna was at a loss for words. The girl had such a beautiful face, and her hair was such a nice color. It took Tsuna a second to realize she had an eye patch over her right eye; it took Tsuna another second to realize that she was waiting for him to speak.
"Ah, I'm sorry miss, but would you like help with your bags? I saw that you were having a little trouble." Tsuna said with a sheepish smile. He was embarrassed that he had been staring. The girl opened her mouth in surprise at Tsuna's kind gesture.
"Y-Yes I would. Thank you." She said with a little blush on her cheeks. Tsuna's heart skipped a beat, this girl was special he could tell. Tsuna took the heaviest bag off her hands and fell into step with her. They were both quiet as they began walking; neither of them knew what to say, and Tsuna could barely hold the bag because of his sweaty palms. He glanced over at the girl, and saw that her nose and cheeks were both red from the cold. Tsuna wished he could give her his jacket or scarf, but they were both covered and soot and ash. He didn't want to ruin her beautiful dress. Sick of the silence, Tsuna began to make conversation.
"I'm Tsuna, what's your name?" he asked. The girl fidgeted slightly before answering him.
"I'm Chrome…" she said. Tsuna played with that name in his mind for a moment. Chrome? That wasn't a bad name, it was pretty in fact. It matched her perfectly he thought. Chrome; the girl with the long eyelashes and pretty purple hair, yeah he liked that.
"Chrome what are you doing carrying these bags by yourself?" Tsuna asked, genuinely concerned. He didn't think she should be out walking the streets by herself. It troubled him to think of all the kinds of trouble she could have gotten into.
"O-Oh, well I-I was just shopping." She said, looking anywhere but at Tsuna, which he was thankful for. That way he could look without getting caught.
"I know it's just dangerous out here. Please try and be more careful." He said. Chrome blushed deeply and had a guilty look on her face. Tsuna didn't mean to make her feel like that, he just wanted her to be safe.
They crossed the street and Tsuna realized he wasn't sure where he was. He was sure that he knew every part of London, but he had never seen this part of the city before. Chrome seemed to know her way around though, she would turn corners go through back roads like she had taken this path dozens of times. After crossing one last street they walked along the sidewalk until they arrived at Chrome's house. She unlocked the door with her key, and shuffled inside. Tsuna, not sure what to do, waited outside for a moment. When Chrome didn't return, he cautiously walked inside, slowly as if he were a thief trying to steal something.
He saw Chrome in the kitchen, putting food in the pantries and on the table. He carefully placed the bag on the kitchen table, and turned to leave.
"Ah! Thank you so much Mr. Tsuna." Chrome said. Tsuna smiled at her and gave a little wave as he exited.
"You're welcome. And please, call me Tsuna."
The warmth emitting from the fire place was very comforting, especially since Chrome had been out all evening buying groceries for her family. She rubbed her hands together to get the blood flowing to all of her fingers, and then rubbed her arms to get rid of the goose bumps. Right now, she was alone in the living room. The rest of her family had retired early, and she was the only one still awake. She could faintly hear the sounds of carriages being pulled by horses in the cold winter snow. The wind would beat against the window and make noise, but Chrome paid it no mind. She was very tired and exhausted.
She had to walk into town because her Father and Mother were using the carriage for their evening date together. They always went on dates together, too absorbed in their marriage, and their jobs to even think about Chrome. Chrome took it upon herself to do all the cleaning, cooking, laundry, and even the shopping. It was simply tiring for Chrome to carry all those bags herself. Her hands and arms ached from the weight she had to carry. The snow did not help either, Chrome had to be especially cautious because of the slippery ice and deep piles of snow. She was thankful to Tsuna for helping her carry them home.
Chrome stared into the fire, and let her thoughts focus on the boy who had helped her. She had noticed that he was covered in soot, but she could still make out his pretty brown eyes and nice complexion. She felt her cheeks darken and her heart quicken as she thought about Tsuna and his mesmerizing smile. Chrome had never met a more sweet and kind boy in her life. Just the thought of him made Chrome feel feelings she had never felt before.
Chrome stretched her arms over her head. She figured she might as well go to bed, everyone else was asleep anyway. She went to the kitchen and grabbed the flour container. She effectively put out the fire before looking at the fire place for a minute. She could clearly see the soot and ash in the fire place, especially since her family had been using it very often because it was winter. Chrome smiled to herself, as an idea struck her. The chimney would need to be cleaned soon, and Chrome knew the perfect brown eyed boy for the job.
"Reborn, would you mind telling us where we're going?" asked Tsuna as he, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Reborn walked the snowy London sidewalks together. They had been walking for quite some time, and Reborn had not said a word to them since they began walking. The silence was driving Tsuna crazy, and also the fact that he didn't know where he was going.
"Where else would we be going no-good Tsuna? We're going to clean a chimney, that's what we do." Reborn said, sitting on Yamamoto's shoulder. Tsuna sighed heavily at his Master Sweep. Reborn had always called him that, only because Tsuna was so prone to getting stuck in chimneys. Yamamoto chuckled lightly at Reborn and looked behind him to reassure Tsuna.
"Don't worry Tsuna; you know you're his favorite." Tsuna gave Yamamoto a small smile before taking in his surroundings. There weren't very many people out today on the streets of London; they were probably all at home sitting by the campfire nice and warm. The sidewalks were covered with slushy snow, making Tsunas' feet hard to move. They had been walking for quite a while, and Tsuna still didn't know where they were going. Gokudera was surprisingly quiet as well, he hadn't said a word all morning, but Tsuna was sure it was because they hadn't eaten yet.
They continued to walk, until they crossed a street that Tsuna was sure he was familiar with. Then, it hit him like a ton of bricks. They couldn't be going to Chrome's house could they? Suddenly Tsuna's heart began to beat rapidly. It couldn't be…this just had to be fate.
"Here we are." Reborn announced. Tsuna couldn't believe his eyes.
It was Chrome's house. Tsuna began to fidget and sweat. He couldn't believe he was here at the very house he was at a few days ago. Although Tsuna was nervous, he really wanted to see Chrome. He had been thinking of her constantly since they parted, of her beautiful hair, and gorgeous…eye. Tsuna thought that he eye patch looked quite nice on her as well.
"Well Tsuna?" Reborn said turning to look at his apprentice. "Ring the doorbell!"
Tsuna, now shaking with nervousness and excitement, slowly stepped forward, and rang the doorbell.
Chrome couldn't stop fiddling with the hem of her dress. She had gotten her mother's consent to have the chimney swept, but that didn't stop her from being nervous. She kept looking at the clock, they were supposed to be here ten minutes ago, she knew this wasn't usually where Tsuna worked, but she didn't think he would be this late, then again it did take her a while getting home last night after looking for Tsuna.
Chrome had been out late last night looking for the brown haired chimney sweep, only to find Gokudera. Chrome had seen him out of the corner of her eye when she and Tsuna first met, and she easily recognized his silver locks. Chrome had asked if they could clean her chimney the next morning to which Gokudera happily agreed. Chrome hastily scribbled her address on a piece of paper she had in her bag, and handed it to him. Gokudera had promised that he would bring Tsuna along, to which Chrome had blushed a deep red. Chrome peeked out the window to see if Tsuna was there, but all she could see was the snow and ice caked on the windows. Chrome began to get anxious, maybe she should've waited until the weather had gotten a bit warmer?
Chrome shook her head. She couldn't wait that long to see Tsuna. She smiled as her thoughts were filled with the kind-hearted chimney sweep. She couldn't stop thinking about his dark brown eyes, and his cheery smile. Chrome had never met such a kind and gentle person before. He treated her with such care and kindness, Chrome had never experienced that before. Tsuna was the only person to treat her that way. She wanted to see him again, it didn't matter that he was covered and soot, and his hair was messy, he was handsome and sweet in Chrome's eyes, and he would always be.
Chrome jumped at the sudden sound of the doorbell. She immediately began to feel nervous. Her heart was pounding, and her palms began to sweat. She reached out her hand to open the door, but couldn't. Why was she so nervous? Just simply open the door and let Tsuna in. Chrome clenched her eyes shut in frustration. Why was she so scared? Didn't she desperately wish to see Tsuna just seconds ago? Chrome took a deep breath, calmed her nerves and opened the door.
I hope you enjoyed the first half of this story. The second half is coming soon.
Here are a few answers to questions you may have. Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Gokudera are all apprentices to Reborn, their Master Sweep who teaches them how to be chimney sweeps. They are on their way to becoming journeymen! As for ages, I have no idea. Apprentices are usually pretty young, but I still want Tsuna and Chrome to at least be 15. If you have any other questions please review or PM. Please review and the next half will be coming…soon…hopefully.