Title: De Novo
By: Oshean Kie
Rating: T with swearing.
Pairing: R27
A/N note: I completely changed this whole chapter. But it's a revise. OLD. Took a long time over two years.
Btw the format is nicer on mobile...
De Novo
Chapter 1
"Anew"
Shoving his hands in his pocket, Tsuna looked up at the sky and started whistling a tune with his music. His head bounced in beat with the smooth jazz playing through his ear phones. Leaves were scattered all across the brick red road, trees aging along the side, causing a ruckus against the wind.
It was quite the scene from a movie, the long walk way with trees along the side, autumn leaves falling.
Shifting his shoulders a little, the brunet licked his parched lips and let out a tiny sigh. His feet were throbbing in protest of walking for too long, but he would not have this problem if only he read the map correctly...
An orange tinted yellow leaf danced down and smacked the poor unsuspecting teen in the face, startling him.
"Ack – !" he choked on his own spit and quickly moved to swipe the leaf away. After successfully doing that, he pouted and furrowed his eyebrows.
He was already home sick. He missed his mother at home, the one he was doing this for.
Taking another sigh, Tsuna trudged on forward knowing that if he did not take action in life, then he would always be no good. Tsuna hated being useless.
Back in his home town, Namimori, things were fairly normal. Nothing bad happened, but like every other family, there was a flaw. His father was in the hospital recovering from a deadly car wreck. Car crashes were a reoccurring appearance in his town, but it had a huge impact on his family. Tsuna's family struggled on a daily basis to keep food on the table. It became strained, trying to maintain a semblance of a "normal family".
Then came the fact that the cost of the hospital fees were absolutely horrendous.
The ambulance ride cost nearly the same amount of Tsuna's life. If his life was at forfeit, then how would they pay for the actual surgeries? The staying fee? The medicine?
Fact of the day was: they couldn't. He couldn't.
So here he was, walking his way through this ancient town that looked like it could be demolished just by a car driving through. Though that was over exaggerating. A lot.
Rolling his neck, Tsuna pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. Slowing his walk so he could properly take a look at the map, he bit his lip and squinted.
"So I'm here right now at the Apple Tree Walkway..." he looked up at the supposedly 'apple trees' and gave a sheepish shrug. "Looks accurate enough..."
He crumpled the map in his hands and searched his pants for another piece of paper, but paused.
"...Wait. Where is the slip – the slip for the house directions!?" Tsuna wailed as he dug through his front pockets, map disregarded in his arm pit.
"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! You cannot be kidding me!" Silently screaming, he shoved the map in his mouth so he could pull his own hair while fussing with the pockets on his body.
Tsuna...why do you do this to yourself? Why do you loose everything important when you need them? Tsuna why are you so useless...
Hanging his head down in defeat, he let go of the map and tried restoring it to the original, unwrinkled form. Eyes scanning all the rubbish he could barely comprehend, he tapped his foot.
"Okay Tsuna, let's be rational." He closed his eyes and hummed. "The last time we checked...the last time we saw the slip, we weren't far away from our destination."
The brunet looked through the map again, searching for areas around the walkway he was currently on. Drawing in a blank, he decided he would just keep walking forward.
Folding the map, Tsuna shoved it in his pocket again. A yawn threatened to escape him, but he persevered through. The faster he would find this house, the faster he would be hired and started working. If he worked, then his mind would be taken off of the fact he was tired and worn. It would also cover his life long debt to his father.
Better be absorbed into something you can enjoy doing than do nothing.
He thought to himself. Doing chores was something he liked doing. It was a girly , but he did not care. He had been bullied all through school, so feeling the guilt of not blending in and doing things normal boys did, it mattered not to Tsuna. He learned that he would do what made him happy, because out of everyone else? He deserved it. And if he didn't? Well, you could always do something for yourself once in your life, and this would be it for him.
Tsuna was so deep in thought, he didn't process the fact that he passed a separate pathway. It was only until a piercing scream bled through his music he was startled out of his reverie.
"AAAUUUGGGG!" the voice howled.
His foot made a graceful stop on a small incline of the bricks on the road, causing him to see his life flash before his eyes. As if it was in slow motion, Tsuna felt his body dramatically, but slowly fall forward. His arms automatically reached forward to tap the ground before his body made contact.
It was a mechanism he learned in high school. He was taught by an upperclassmen (Roho? Roway? Ryosay?) that did boxing and jiu jitsu. It was supposed to "balance" or lessen the impact of a fall. Tsuna just went along with it, and found it becoming a habit whether it worked or not.
He smackedthe ground and skid forward, curling up his body to the direction of travel. A groan left his lips as he laid there, catching his breath.
It didn't feel that bad. The bricks were slightly abrasive so at the most, he would get minor scratches. Weakly glaring at the partially crushed leaves in front of him, he clicked his tongue.
There goes meeting my employer hurt-free.
Pushing himself up, he sat on his knees and started to brush himself off, immune to the stomping that started to crescendo from behind him. Before he knew it, a person zoomed past him with less-than-obvious angry steps. Tsuna blinked and shot up in standing position with a gasp before twirling around.
If there was a person that came out of no-where, then he must have came from somewhere, because Tsuna knew no one was walking behind him.
"A pathway!" He cried in joy as he looked around to see if he dropped anything. Seeing nothing, he zoomed off jumping in happiness. His converse slid against the bricks for a moment but he caught himself before he fell again. Luckily he did so at the entrance to the pathway he did not see before.
His eyes spotted a plaque to the right of the entrance. Walking towards it, he bent down to read it.
"K-ka...kate...katek-kyo Road? Katekyo Road?" Tsuna sounded it out slowly. He didn't have any problems with reading or anything, it was just this town was so old the writing was in ancient cursive. The cursive before cursive.
Humming once again (a habit when he thinks), he let out another strangled gasp.
Holy crap! I remember where I put my slip!
Mentally face-palming, he reached in his butt pocket and pulled out a thin slip of paper. Face flushing in embarrassment, he lightly hit himself in the head.
"Good going stupid..."
Unrolling it in his hands, Tsuna read the words in nice, plain, Arial font.
End of Katekyo Road
"Well that's cool. No numbers, meaning it'll probably be the only house down!" He excitedly exclaimed. Tsuna had never been to a real mansion before. His dad always joked about their mansion up in Italy, but Tsuna never believed him. If they had a mansion in Italy, then why were they living in an average house in Namimori?
Tsuna ended up skipping down the poor pathway in order to reach the end faster. He was a little unobservant as the scenery changed from the autumn glow to a lush green. Trees turned into bushes that were artistically styled in many shapes and sizes, ranging from circles to ovals, to squares and to rectangles.
The air had a forest-like edge to it, almost alerting Tsuna that things were much different now.
His intuition flared up and Tsuna slowed back into a walk as soon as the black gated fence was in view.
He was stunned, to put it simply. Finally recognizing where he was, he took in the front garden of bushes and wondered who took care of them, knowing the owner did not do so himself. Reaching the gate opening, Tsuna slipped through the partially open space ( the gate was already open, he wasn't trying to go to jail!) and made his observations once again.
It was a pretty porch, if you could call it that. The bricks were not the cinnamon red it had been. They were a blend of beige, pasta-white, and pale brown. There was an open garage with two cars in it. Tsuna guessed they were expensive, seeing the sleek shape of them, but he couldn't really tell. They were covered in a heavy cloth that looked as if it hadn't been taken off in years.
The front design of the house was homely, but there was an obvious blend of a Baroque and Victorian feel to it. Integrated into the house itself were arches that shaded white framed windows, but you could not see through them for deep blue drapes blocked your view.
Realizing he was dealing with a man who owned more than he would ever own in his life, Tsuna gulped and cleared his throat. It was okay. He had this.
Taking a step forward, Tsuna made the walk of dread to the rosewood colored doors. They were beautiful too, in fact, which made the walk a little more reassuring. He stopped at the small incline of steps, three or four feet away from the door.
Tsuna furrowed his eyebrows and nodded confidently. This was going to happen. He was going to reach for the door, knock, and then soon he'll be inside told that he was going to be hired!
Smiling softly, he heard his mother's soft voice inside his head telling him that everything happened for a reason, which he did believe. Lifting his foot, he took one more step forward, arm reaching in an angled fist to knock.
The space between his hand and the door slowly decreased.
Just a little more Tsuna! You can do it!
He cheered himself on, as his hand made a stop two inches away from the door. His body was shaking for some reason or another, his gut telling him that once he knocked, his fate was sealed. Biting his lip, he stayed in the awkward position for a while, giving his life a break.
Because his mind had obviously imploded on itself.
"God..." He hissed out, shoulders slumping a little. "This is so stupid. Just knew-"
BAM!
Tsuna cried out in surprise as the door swung open with an incredible speed. His arm was flung to his side, and his body stepped back with a stutter, avoiding the edge of the door by a penny.
Face pale and body cold, his eyes took a while to digest what was going on.
"YOU! You're the caretaker wanting a job here, huh!" The man screeched.
Tsuna winced slightly. The guy had the most vibrant purple hair color that was partially slicked back, and to top it all off, he wore eye shadow! Eye shadow! Now Tsuna wasn't a man to discriminate, but this – this was weird. He gave credit for the suit the man was wearing, it matched the feel of the surroundings, but his piercing and bandages on his face begged to differ. But again, Tsuna wasn't a man of discrimination and this man was probably a GREAT butler-
"Uh, yes? I mean...hi?" Tsuna gave a sheepish smile.
"No time no time! The M-master is waiting!" He grabbed the brunet's arm and dragged the smaller man with surprising force.
The butler did look as scrawny as Tsuna.
Reluctantly letting the other man take charge, Tsuna felt under-dressed inside the interior of the house. Like outside, there were shades of beige and brown. The theme over all was classy, lace to accentuate a gentle feel, wooden chairs and tables, marble counters, lamps that looked old but modernized with the candle-like glow radiating from them.
Yes. He was definitely in a rich person's house.
Tsuna found himself in front of large doors once again, but this time, they were engraved with designs a lot better than his poor attempt at drawing a simple swirl.
"Here's the deal kid," the man spun him around by the shoulders so they were face to face. "Master is pretty annoyed already, if not, pissed. He has rejected everyone today so far, so make this one a good one. You're the last. Do not act childish! Stuttering is a no! Fidgeting is also a no!"
Tsuna clicked his tongue lightly. "I am not a kid, I am 25. But thank you for the input Mr. Butler," he frowned.
"It's Skull-sama! Live it, learn it, love it!" He placed his hands on his hips proudly, changing into the confident man, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. "Now go!" He swiveled Tsuna around and straightened his posture. Skull grabbed the handles and after a moment, he swung them open with a graceful step back.
"My lady," he then bowed, right hand placed above him heart.
Tsuna felt like royalty as he watched Skull open the doors for him, for when they did, it was like the scene where the light illuminates your vision, then suddenly something pleasing should be beyond the doors.
And there it was, a pretty, young woman. She turned from behind a glazed desk and curiously looked at the two men. The girl had blunt, straight bangs across her face, and what looked like a bob. But as Tsuna observed her even closer, there was a long pony tail on the lower back of her head. Mesmerized, the brunet stood there dumbfounded.
Her eyes reminded Tsuna of Periwinkle. A blue and purple mixed, but the color was extremely gentle.
Said eyes were sparkling in amusement as his blatant staring.
"Please, come in. I do not bite, I assure you," if Tsuna was told that angels did not exist, he would deny it and shove this lady in their faces.
Quickly bowing, Tsuna entered the room and felt relaxed in her presence. She giggled at his apprehensiveness and leaned against the desk, waiting for him to take a seat.
The boy did so, not noticing that Skull had disappeared and the doors were closed. He didn't even hear them click.
"So let's get started...Tsunayoshi Sawada?" Her soft, soprano voice traveled through the room. She shuffled through a series of paper, facial expression serene.
"Yes...that is me," he bashfully looked to the left of her, embarrassed by her natural beauty.
Oh.
He then thought.
So that's where the blinding light came from.
Behind her was a full wall view of a whole different garden. This one was a flower garden, unlike the plain bushes up front. The different colors of the plants were strategically placed in groups, creating a sight for sore eyes (as if the lady wasn't enough). Tsuna then noticed the sun was lowering quite quickly, causing the light to shine through.
"You have a pretty good record, Tsuna-kun!" The small woman broke his trance. "You're young...not a bad person from what I can perceive. Gentle-looking too, I like it!" She smiled brightly and pushed herself from the desk.
"I'm Yuni by the way. I am as young as I look, only 15." Scratching her arm shyly, she shrugged. "I partially take care of Uncle Reborn, but my school break is over so I must return home. You understand right? That school thing," Yuni laughed lightly and let out a tired sigh.
Tsuna liked the way she eased herself into a conversation. It was natural and easy. He melted into the chair and returned the smile. "Nice to meet you too Yuni. I'm not as young as I look," he gave a lopsided grin, "I am 25. And of course, I understand 'that school thing', though it has been a while."
I remember it clearly.
She nodded and stretched upwards, letting out a groan. "Mhm. Yes, absolutely." Yuni absentmindedly spoke. "My apologies, been a long day. I let Uncle Reborn, who is, by the way, the one you will be taking care of, out for some fresh air because the previous caretakers did not..." she struggled for the word to say. "...like him per say. Though I'm sure he'll like you. Maybe he will even love you! He has too."
The girl laughed and exited through the door to her left.
Tsuna blinked rapidly and tried to organize his feelings.
That really ended kind of awkwardly...
He decided. Shifting in his seat, he petted the armchair he was leaning on as Yuni took her time out there. Tsuna felt his nerves slowly building up in his stomach, anxiety creeping up on him.
I hope I don't get a ugly, fat, and rude man!
Shaking his head vehemently, he whined. It was not the time for last minute doubts. No matter how much the though of a short, stubby man "loving" him was creepy.
The door opened and Tsuna immediately straightened up. Yuni peeked in her head and smiled, before retreating back out. Swallowing, he wished he was the beautiful chair beneath him, living life peacefully, looking great always.
Life was so unfair.
Then, the moment of truth came. Slowly, black Salvatore Ferragamo loafers came into view, then black sleek (probably fresh out of the dry cleaner) slacks, then suddenly –
oh.
Yuni wheeled in the "master", a smug expression of her face.
Rest in peace Lord. This man is gorgeous.
Tsuna died inside as he took in the Adonis he was now to call master.
Laid back on the wheel chair, broad shoulders were relaxed and comfortable, a grey fitting vest covering a black silk tie all over a formal white button up. His cuffs were unbuttoned, but nicely folded up, showing a foreign but pleasing light bronze.
The air was not calming and comforting anymore, for the mere presence of the older man changed it. It was a bit tense, his confidence and self-assurance quite obvious.
Now fully distressed, Tsuna felt his high school demeanor crashing upon him. He felt inferior just by looking at his employer. It didn't help the man had gloriously coal black hair that was well taken care of and was all slicked back, except for a short strand in his face. Even the small curly side-burns made him feel ugly.
But worst of all?
Tsuna rated his eyes the worst of all.
They were a frighteningly dark shade of ebony. And here Tsuna thought eyes were the windows to the soul – you couldn't even see the goddamn windows! They were just a cement wall saying "No, you may not pass. Go home."
Standing, the brunet took a deep bow and tried clearing his throat softly.
"It's a pleasure to be in your p-presence, Master." He winced at his small slip of a stutter and stayed in his position.
Yuni hummed lightly behind her Uncle and brought him beside the chair behind the desk. She resumed position in the seat, and leaned forward so she could rest her head on her hands. This was it.
Charcoal eyes gazed at the smaller man and rolled his eyes. "Chaos. Rise and sit down." he commanded.
Tsuna immediately did what he was told and sat his butt on the chair. He forced himself to look directly at the man, even if his heart was going to faint.
"Now, now, Uncle! This is Tsunayoshi Sa-wa-da! He will be the one replacing Elena! And Tsuna-kun, this is my Uncle Reborn, your new master." She introduced the two as the conversation (if you could call it that) dried out instantly.
So that's his name...
Tsuna snapped in his head. He knew she had said his name before, but it flew over his head quicker than when Butler Skull pulled him into the house.
"Sawada." Reborn drawled. His voice was low and husky, as if he smoked a pack of cigar a few minutes ago. It was sultry.
"Tell me..." he fingered his side-burn and narrowed his eyes at the brunet. "What is your favorite type of music?"
Tsuna held back the shivers. His voice seemed so calming, but it had the total opposite effect on him.
"I like new age music," he offered lamely, hoping that would suffice. Tsuna listened to anything...it all depended on his mood. But he found that if he had to offer a real answer, new age would be appropriate.
Reborn stared at him with lost interest, not even pretending to think over the answer. The room took on a deadly silence as he grumbled angrily under his breath. "Yuni, put him to work. Bring me to my room," the girl shot up and quickly did as he said, not saying much. Tsuna looked to her as if she would explain the situation to him in kid talk, but Yuni just smiled and nodded her head.
They passed by the sitting adult, the sound of the wheel chair rolling along the carpet quite loud. It was only until then it hit Tsuna that he should have stood up to pay his respects to the man. Flushing a light shade a red, he did just that and turned to watch Yuni open the door. When the pair was halfway through the doorway, Reborn lifted a hand up as a signal to stop.
"Boy," he addressed.
"Y-yes sir?"
"Enjoy your stay."