The Years That Were Lost
Chapter 1 - First Meeting
Warning: Slight innuendos, abuse, swearing, and brawls.
Tsuna bit back a scream as a sting made itself known on his cheek, and let out a soft sigh as the offending hand retreated from his face. He faintly felt tears running down his swollen cheeks, mingling with the blood gushing from his split lip. A cut on his forehead, just above the left eyebrow, trickled into his eye and blurred his vision with a murky red. Tsuna clenched his eye shut and watched the man in front of him carefully with his unharmed one.
He wouldn't dare make a sound.
Even a small whimper or a gasp would set off the man. Rikku, his foster father, would beat Tsuna up until he burnt off the alcohol coursing through his system or when he feels satisfied that the boy is reduced into a heap of bloody wreck.
And to think I was having a nice day too… Tsuna winced as Rikku grabbed his hair roughly and craned his neck up. He tried to lean away from the hot breath fanning his cheek and prayed for something better to happen. Just anything beside this level of intimacy.
There was a sickening crack and the next thing Tsuna knew, his head was throbbing as he was sprawled on the floor on his side. A groan escaped his gaping mouth and he unconsciously froze in place. His vision was blurry and for all he knew, Rikku could-
"Get out of my sight," Rikku growled and kicked Tsuna onto his back. He spat to his side with a scowl on his face. "You disgust me."
Thanking whatever God have done to make the man change his mind, Tsuna rolled to his side and slowly heaved himself off the floor, his hands slipping on the plaster from the broken wall. Oh God! Tsuna gasped painfully as spikes flared throughout his lower abdomen. Perhaps he shouldn't have moved too quickly…but damn it all, he was getting away from this deranged man! Tsuna still held in noises that threatened to erupt from his throat as he made his way to the door.
His hand fumbled with the doorknob and swung it open, the cool air whipping against his face reminded Tsuna what month of the year it was. October; the only month where the leaves would fall off trees just from the sheer cold. His birthday was even coming up... With a wheeze, Tsuna gripped his side with his arm across his stomach and started the trek to the hospital.
It could have been hours or mere minutes when Tsuna finally came to the entrance belonging to a large building with Namimori Hospital on the front in big, black letters. He sharply inhaled and coughed harshly as his ribs took the chance to jab at his lungs. He took a step forward but tripped over a raised root of an old tree.
"Just great," Tsuna mumbled. I can't move and no one can see me on the ground...and it's at night. He tried to push himself forward with his forearms but his chest screamed in pain. The teenager silently sobbed and relaxed his body, resting his head on his outstretched arm.
I give up...I give up! I can't stand the pain anymore! Tsuna raged internally and saw his vision was getting blurry around the edges, slowly creeping to the center. He frantically gasped for air and clenched a hand into a fist. As much as I want to get away from it all, someone...s-save...me...
Just as his vision turned black, it gradually whitened and his body felt a whole lot warmer than before. Tsuna sighed and caught a glimpse of a large tanned hand reaching out for him before his eyelids lost the battle and slipped shut.
"I'm so sorry...Tsuna."
"You did well, Sawada-san," a man smiled, flashing his pearly whites, as he shook hands with his companion. He frowned at Sawada's bloodshot eyes and added, "You must be tired, though. Promise me something: you will get some sleep tonight instead of trying to figure out how to perform a surgery on a patient. You're off duty."
A tired sigh escaped a pair of lips before a stiff smile appeared, "Of course, Asari-san. You performed well tonight, too."
Asari grinned once again, satisfied with the man's agreement, and went to his car, leaving the other doctor in the biting wind. A particularly strong wind howled and made Sawada tug up the collar of his jacket, his brown hair being sharply tussled by the rough air.
"A storm is coming," he whispered to himself, his voice barely heard in the loud wind. The doctor gave the darkening sky a glance to confirm his prediction. It was starting to form heavy clouds and Sawada was hoping it wouldn't rain before he gets home. The brunet was jerked into reality as headlights beamed into his direction but turned and faded into the distance.
Asari had left through the east gate, but he, Sawada, preferred to take the west gate. It was closer to his home and provided an open space for driving as almost no one ever went on the Will Road.
Another howl shook Sawada down to his bones and he hastily walked to his car, basking in the warmth once he got in and started the engine. He sighed in part happiness and part tiredness and backed the car out silently, heading to the gate. His body was on auto; he passed the red car with a broken taillight, drove slowly over the speed bump, and approached a body that was-
"What!" The doctor slammed his foot on the brake and the car loudly screeched to a stop. His orange eyes were wide from the shock and the adrenaline being pumped through his body made him alert - alert to the body probably dying outside, Sawada suddenly realized, "Shit!"
He fumbled with the button of the seat-belt until it finally snapped, freeing him to run outside and check on the body. What he met was not expected to the doctor. What he saw was-
A bang sounded. A boy screamed and fell to the floor, clutching his injured calf.
Sawada came to with a shudder and knelt near the boy, inspecting any external injuries but none seemed to be visible. The boy had brown hair much like his own when he was younger; unkempt and spiked in soft tufts. Upon a closer look, he could see small white puffs above the boy's mouth, indicating he's still alive. However, brown eyes were slipping shut and the older man hastily picked the teenager with his arms under smaller legs and shoulders.
"Come on," Sawada whispered to himself as he rushed to the passenger seat, carefully placing the boy there and buckling him in. The doctor slammed the door shut and quickly got into his side. The brunet buckled himself in, tugged the door shut, and pressed the gas all in one go. He glanced at the unconscious boy at a red light and saw that he didn't move much except for leaning forward from the older's frantic driving.
The light turned green and the gas was pressed again. A couple of minutes passed until he came to a cross-section of Will Road and Dying Lane. He turned to the right and pulled into the driveway of a large white house with a faded blue door.
Sawada then decided nothing is more difficult than trying to hold a teenage boy and opening the door to his house. However, placing the boy on his own bed made everything easier.
After making sure the injured teenager wouldn't suddenly move and fall off, Sawada made a quick trip to the bathroom, retrieving his medical kit. The doctor sighed in relief when he saw the boy hasn't budged an inch but his stomach twisted in anxiety. What if he won't wake up...? I'd be charged for murder! Sawada gulped down the bile threatening to come out and placed the kit on the foot of the bed, starting to take off the red, battered shirt.
A scream from the boy startled him and the doctor looked up see a scrunched up face and set jaws before looking back down to the now bare chest. Sawada's stomach hurled; there was a huge red area on his right side, where the lower ribs are. He'd have to talk to the boy in the morning to diagnose the damage.
The doctor sighed and went into analytical mode, quickly searching the chest for any more bruising but there was none. He momentarily glanced down and decided to leave the lower parts till morning and instead went on up to look at the boy's head. His long fingers gently gripped the teenager's chin to turn his head to the other side.
"Oh, kid," Sawada clenched his eyes shut before opening them, revealing sad orange eyes. "Whatever happened to you?"
On the side of the boy's face, there was slight bruising around his left eye that the doctor knew would progress into a black eye. There was also a minor cut above his eyebrow, trickling blood down his face.
Sawada opened the medical kit with a click.
"Mmn..." Tsuna sighed and clutched at a very soft pillow, kneading his fists deeper and deeper into the heavenly object. Everything was so warm...the pillow, the mattress, the blankets, and the sun shining through the blinds. "Hn?"
The brunet teenager jolted upright but stifled a shocked shout at the pain flaring throughout his chest. He shakily rested on the wooden headboard and breathed heavily through clenched teeth. Tsuna's eyes swept across the room frantically, trying to find any signs of whose house he was brought into but found none. To his left, there was a large, wooden dresser with little accessories scattered on the surface, and a door. In front of Tsuna, there was another door but it was a sliding one, indicating that it's a closet. To his right, there was a small nightstand - also wooden - with a lamp, and a sleeping man slouched in a chair.
"Hiie...!" Tsuna's breathing got quieter but faster as his eyes widened in fear and despair. He hesitantly observed the man sleeping on his hand; his brown hair was much like Tsuna's only more tamed and spikier, his skin was deathly pale, and the man's long legs were stretched out in front. But his eyes...orange irises stared into his boring brown - wait, orange?
Tsuna jerked as he suddenly realized the man was watching him with tired eyes, his head not leaning against his hand anymore. His face was angular, catching the light very well as it shone through the blinds. Before Tsuna knew it, the man was approaching him with long strides, and the younger scooted backwards but stopped short as his chest contracted in pain with a wince.
"You have a bruise and possible broken bones in your lower chest," the man spoke in a low tone and raised his hands to show no harm. "It would be good if you didn't move much for a while now."
The orange eyes subtly glanced at Tsuna's chest and the boy hesitantly looked down.
"Ah! Where's my shirt?" The man opened his mouth and moved closer but Tsuna jabbed a finger in his direction. The man stopped with wary eyes and watched as the teenager scrambled to bring up the blanket to cover his still bare chest, "Where am I? Who are you! Why am I here?"
Tsuna near-screeched the last question and shook in shuddering gasps, bringing the outreached arm close to his chest. The yelling really had took a lot of his energy and the man seems bewildered enough to satisfy Tsuna.
The older brunet slowly held up a finger, "One, it's my house-" A second finger joined the first. "-and two, I'm Doctor Sawada, a surgeon of Namimori Hospital..." The now known man added a third finger and answered the last question, "Three, you're in my house because I nearly ran you over with my car and decided to take care of you until you feel better."
Silence. Tsuna gaped at the doctor in shock. Sawada seemed uncomfortable under the gaze of those brown eyes.
"You ran me over!" Tsuna finally blurted out and the other scowled in irritation.
"Nearly!" Sawada hissed and dropped his arms, walking closer to the bed. He jabbed a finger in the boy's direction, mimicking what the boy had done to him moments ago, and explained harshly, "If I hadn't stopped, you'd be as good as dead! You are very lucky that I even decided to take you home and take care of you instead of dumping you at the hospital without any information."
Tsuna's mouth snapped shut with an audible click and the doctor looked away and glared at the large dresser across the room. Sawada's profile was sharp with a straight nose and a long neck. His brown hair was short at the nape, never passing the standard hairline, unlike Tsuna's handful of long strands that reached the small of his back.
"I..." Sawada's expression softened but refused to look at the boy speaking tentatively, "I'm sorry. It's not everyday that someone picks me off the road and bring me in their home."
The doctor's smile was alluring, even as small as it was, and he turned to face the boy. This time, he apologized, "It is alright. You have had every right to...uh, blow up at me."
Tsuna opened his mouth to protest that it wasn't but a loud growl interrupted and the teenager blushed a deep red. Sawada smiled in amusement.
"I can make some breakfast for you if you want," he suggested with a smile.
Tsuna made to shake his head in denial and say that he's not hungry but another growl intimidated him, making him nod slowly. Brown irises watched the man as he headed to the door and left the room, his white coat flapping out of sight. It was then the brunet let out a heavy breath he didn't know he held. For a moment, when the surgeon was glaring at the dresser, he emitted a death-like aura that made Rikku's aura puny sized.
Tsuna heard some clatters below and a rather loud curse, tempting the brunet to go and look but he didn't know the house very well and the doctor had warned him to not move around as much. He pouted and shifted into a half-lying form, where only his head was propped up against the headboard. Now that he realized it, the teenager was feeling a little painful around the bruise on his chest and a little around his eye. He felt around with careful fingers and saw that Sawada cleaned and dressed up every little wounds.
His face was practically covered in white band-aids.
Tsuna winced when he accidentally poked his lower eyelid, remembering that Rikku had punched him yesterday morning, before the teenager left for school. He glanced to the door; the sounds stopped but there were quiet footsteps, almost scuffling-like, and Tsuna looked around the room in search of his shirt.
"I washed your shirt last night," a voice announced and the brunet snapped his head to the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the doctor standing there. A red fabric was slung over one of his arms and a hand balanced a tray with food on it while the other held a plate. Sawada slowly entered the room and placed the tray on Tsuna's thighs and handed the boy his shirt. The older man pointed at the now clean shirt, "Don't put that on yet, I'd need to do an inspection on that bruise and make sure there aren't any internal damage. But for now, eat up."
Sawada returned to the chair he slept in and began to eat the sandwich on his plate slowly with his eyes trained on Tsuna. The orange irises stared and followed Tsuna's every move and, to be frank, it was making the young brunet shiver - out of what, the boy didn't know, but he was hoping it was fear.
"You're not hungry anymore?"
Those thin lips moved and Tsuna looked away to his tray in embarrassment. In the center was a plate with a ham sandwich cut diagonally into two, and a glass of orange juice on the right, and a folded napkin on the left.
"It's not much, but it should give you enough energy for today," the doctor finally spoke, swallowing down the last bite of his sandwich and placing the empty plate on the nightstand. "I'm sorry there aren't many food choices."
"No, it's okay," Tsuna whispered and picked up one half of the ham sandwich. He stared at it; it is just ham and bread, he told himself, before taking a generous bite. The teenager's eyes were wide as he stared at the sandwich and choked out, "This is good!"
A wry chuckle came from Sawada, "I'm glad you like it."
"I love it!" Tsuna blushed lightly and continued to nibble on the sandwich. His mouth nearly melted at the unique combination of ham and something else, the delicious flavor filling him with warmth that made his toes curl.
However, he ate too quickly for his own taste and Tsuna's stomach filled with dread as the doctor moved the tray to the nightstand. The younger froze up as rough hands pushed against his bare shoulders.
Sawada explained with a blank face, "I need you to lay down so I can examine it better."
Tsuna nodded twice and, with his back halfway to the bed, brought up a hand on Sawada's right shoulder. His face was red as he stammered, "I...I'm v-very ticklish..."
"Aren't everybody?" The doctor chuckled lowly and the teenager couldn't help but to notice their face was too close for comfort. Although, another gentle push reminded Tsuna to lay down, and he did. "What's your name?" Sawada idly asked as he felt around the bruise and the boy hissed in pain.
"T-Tsuna," the brunet gasped out with great difficulty but giggled loudly when the doctor's hands strayed from the bruise to the other side of his chest. He clamped down his mouth with a hand as his cheeks burned, his voice barely making it through the barrier, "It's Tsu-Tsunayoshi, but my f-friends call me...Tsuna."
Sawada slowly nodded in affirmation and placed the buds of the stethoscope into his ears and the amplifier on Tsuna's chest, "And how old are you, Tsunayoshi-san?"
"Fifteen, soon turning sixteen this month," Tsuna answered between deep breaths and shivers from the coldness of the metal as it moved across his chest.
"Wow, young." The doctor tilted his head in interest and placed away the stethoscope. "I'll need your permission to examine your legs. Do I have it?"
The older brunet observed Tsuna as he stammered with red cheeks ("Y-yes, but not ab-...above the knees, please.") and bowed his head in respect.
"Understood. Please tell me if you feel any pain," Sawada flipped over the blanket so it wouldn't hide the legs anymore but still covered the boy's chest. His hands firmly squeezed each jean-covered legs and stayed below the knees (to Tsuna's relief). Once the right leg jerked as he pressed against a spot, he dragged back the sleeve and came to a nasty looking bruise directly on Tsuna's shin. He asked, "How did you get that, Tsunayoshi-san?"
"Oh! I'm a very clumsy person...that was when I banged my leg against a coffee table."
The boy is a very awful liar... Sawada stared at Tsuna and spoke slowly as if he was talking to a six-years-old, "You do know that the bruise is in a shape of a hand?"
"What?" The young brunet exclaimed and his eyes widened as Sawada elevated the leg a bit before placing his own hand on the bruise as a demonstration. The black area was significantly larger than the doctor's hand but followed the rule of four fingers and a thumb that circled his calf. "Um, I don't know...maybe it's a weird formation of a bruise?"
Sawada hummed low in his throat, "Maybe."
He was about to ask more questions pertaining to the other swollen areas but a soft waltz interrupted Sawada. With a tired sigh, Sawada stood up and unceremoniously dumped his white coat in the chair. Tsuna only had a glimpse of his black pants and light blue dress shirt before he left the room once again. Sawada was just coming down the stairs when the song ended and rushed to the door, swinging it open for the visitor.
"It's about time, Sawada," the platinum blond man smirked. He was wearing a large black trench coat that was open on the front, showing off the elegant black and white suit he wore underneath. "My cousin was getting pissed off."
"And that is relevant because...?" The doctor drawled impatiently. He really wanted to know how Tsuna got all the bruises.
"I thought with a possibility that you may have seen him around either last night or this morning," the man clarified and pulled out a picture from his pocket of the coat, holding it up for Sawada to see. "His name is Himura Tsunayoshi, commonly known as Tsuna among his friends and school."
Orange irises widened in shock as he stared into the face of Tsuna's. In the picture, Tsuna was smiling gently, his eyes crinkling up in true happiness. A lock of hair was over his shoulder, not as long as it was now but long enough to catch up with the second button of the uniform. Sawada looked up into the other's eyes and backed up deliberately with his hands in the air.
"Alaude..." Sawada spoke carefully, "I do not know how to say this but...Himura-san is in my bed."
Alaude's face was one of disbelief and the doctor winced as he realized that sounded wrong...so, so wrong. He tried to explain but the blond was already bounding up the stairs, heading for the bedroom where Tsuna was, and Sawada gave chase with longer strides.
Tsuna was just trying to put his arm through one of the sleeves when he heard loud footsteps, like someone was running. His heart pounded faster when the noises were heading for the room he was in. W-what's going on? The brunet nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a blond man barge into the room, clenching the door frame and panting hard.
Sawada's voice drifted into the room, his voice loud as if he was afraid, "It's not what you think! ALAUDE!"
This time, Tsuna did jump when Alaude was pushed down to the floor with the doctor's arms around his waist. The teenager was speechless as the two adults wrestled, trying to gain the upper hand on the other, and in the end, it was Alaude who pinned Sawada. The older brunet gritted his teeth as Alaude tugged his arm higher up his back, glaring at the blond with angry eyes with his cheek harshly pressed on the floor. Sawada's other arm was trapped just above his head.
"Himuro-san, Kyouya is looking for you," blue irises met Tsuna's own and the teenager couldn't help but to notice similarities between Hibari and this 'Alaude'. "He's outside. Go. I'll deal with this pedophile."
"Pedophile?" The teenager broke out in cold sweat. What is this man talking about? Sawada-san wasn't planning to do anything...right? He suddenly realized the scenario he was in: just crawling out of bed and putting on his clothes with rumpled hair like he and Sawada had just-...! Tsuna blushed a deep red and squeaked, "It's not what you think! R-really! I can e-explain!"
There was a lengthy silence before the doctor gave a grunt and bucked, signaling that he wanted to be released. Reluctantly, Alaude got off Sawada's back and carefully released his vice grip. The older brunet stood up and brushed dust off his shirt sleeves, the particles floating elsewhere, and gave the blond man a final glower before moving to Tsuna's side. Alaude followed closely.
"You need help with that?" Sawada gestured to the shirt hanging off Tsuna's arm. The boy timidly nodded and the doctor went down on one knee-
"Don't try anything funny, Sawada," Alaude intercepted and both brunets sighed; one out of embarrassment and the other out of irritation.
Tsuna could practically see the doctor's anger swarming behind his orange eyes, contrasting with his gentle hands as they guided Tsuna's other arm and head through the respective holes. A pair of eyes drilled into his head and he looked up to meet Alaude's and Tsuna slowly turned pink.
"Th-thank you, Sawada-sensei," Tsuna stuttered and the doctor went to sit in the chair with his eyes fixed on the floor. Alaude raised an eyebrow as if he was saying 'Get on with it. I want to hear the story.' and the boy started, "Uh, last night, I tried to walk to the hospital but I passed out and Sawada-sensei brought me here for the night. When I woke up, I only had my pants on and he was sleeping in that chair-" Tsuna tilted his head in the doctor's direction, nearly going rigid when those orange eyes were on him but continued with his eyes on Alaude. "-and when he woke up, he offered me some food. I ate and afterward, he examined me. Then you arrived."
"He didn't attempt to touch you inappropriately?"
"I'm a doctor," Sawada cut in, staring incredulously at the blond man behind him. "I'm supposed to be touching him."
The teenager could only sit by and feel his face get hotter and hotter from the offhand comment the doctor made. Sawada noticed this and mumbled under his breath ("Things like this always get me in trouble") while Alaude shook his head.
.tbc.
A/N: So! There you have it; the rewritten version of The Years That Were Lost, formerly named Double Move. I'm so sorry that this took so long to fix and I hope you can forgive me!