This time I tried to stick as closely to canon as possible, even keeping with the suffixes to names. The only deviation is Reborn is an Adult here. Because no one can get too much Adult!Reborn!
I was never good at school. I never managed to get my homework done or turned in on time. I failed every test. Anything extracurricular I tried to do would just crumble away in a pitiful mess. I was horrible at every single sport imaginable. I wasn't even all that handsome, either. And to make matters worse, I was going to be held back this year again. Which of course practically everyone knew. The only reason I never got bullied was because of my tutor, Reborn, and my self-proclaimed right-hand man, Gokudera, would never leave my side.
My mother knew about my problems, sort of. She seemed to have accepted it by now (not such a good thing, if you think about it). But she has asked me a few times if I would like to go to a different school, or try something easier. I never agreed, though. You know why? The only reason I ever willing stay in this place was because of her. As I mentioned before, I wasn't very good-looking (especially when I'm constantly being escorted by Gokudera and Yamamoto, my other good friend, and both are probably two of the most popular guys in the whole school), and I wasn't very smart or athletic. So most girls would ignore me or outright put me down. But not her. She was the first girl to ever actually be nice to me… And to make it even better, she was pretty much the idol of the entire Namimori Middle School! Though this also meant that my chances of ever being her boyfriend or something were even lower than usual. What with a lot of other guys being interested in her and all.
Or so I thought…until the school announced an event they were holding. Namely a dance.
I was quite excited, but nervous, too. The dance was only a week away by now, and I knew my chances of ever asking her were slim at best. Possibly it was too late by now, even. But I was still trying my best to be hopeful.
Walking to school with Gokudera and Yamamoto like usual, I held onto my bag strap, lost in thought. Over me, the two were arguing about something or other. Or more rather, Gokudera was yelling at Yamamoto who simply laughed like he always did. Though they quieted when they seemed to notice how spacey I was being.
"Decimo…is something on your mind?"
Jumping a little at feeling the hand on my shoulder, I looked up at the silver-haired teen and relaxed a little. "U-um… I was just thinking… Do you guys have dates to the dance yet?" Both were good-looking, smart and athletic. They were always being swarmed by girls, especially lately. So this felt like a really stupid question. Which made me quite surprised when they replied.
"Nope, haven't gotten to asking anyone, yet. I figured I could find someone last minute," the taller teen beside me replied, with an airy laugh.
"Tch, of course I have no interest in stupid women. But if Decimo is going, then of course I'll come along!"
"Don't you need a date to be let in, though?" I pointed out, glancing to Gokudera again. Which made him frown in annoyance and look away. But hearing an overly excited 'Tsuna-saaaannn~!' I wondered if maybe he was just frowning at that.
Turning to the girl who stopped in front of us, I smiled politely, though I could already feel the impending doom rise.
"Oh, Tsuna! I promised the guys I would help set up for morning exercises, so I gotta go. See you later!" Yamamoto called out, already running off with a smile and a wave.
Waving back, I was about to turn my attention back to the girl in front of me when a tall, suit-clad man walked past, grabbing Gokudera's arm as he moved past, dragging him along. "Don't be late, Dame-Tsuna," the man said, somehow managing to be heard over Gokudera's angered yells despite his low voice.
Watching the two turn the corner, I could barely believe it. Sure hardly anyone liked her, but did they really have to abandon me like that? Not that she seemed to notice their ulterior motives.
"Tsuna-san, your school is having a dance party, right?"
Up, here it comes…
"Eto…Haru was wondering if Tsuna-san already had a date… Her school doesn't have any sort of dance parties at all, so she was really looking forward to it and—"
"I-I'm sorry, Haru…" I couldn't bring myself to lie, but at the same time I didn't want to give her the opportunity to pull a Gokudera and become my 'self-proclaimed date' or something. "I was going to ask someone else this time… But, um!" Quickly waving my hands as her face started to fall, my tongue twisted as I tried to spit out the rest of my sentence. "I-if she doesn't agree, then I'll go with you!" I finally blurted out, though regretted it the next instant. I didn't really want to go with Haru…she wasn't that bad of a girl or anything, she was just…a little too eccentric. And with her love of cosplay, no doubt she'd try to dress up in some sort of crazy outfit.
"R-really, Tsuna-san? You'll really go with Haru?" she pretty much exploded with happiness, bouncing and clapping.
"U-um, but! J-just in case, see if anyone else will want to go with you, okay? I think you would like the dance a lot…so I think, even if I go with someone else, I think you should go, too. Okay?" I smiled, trying to get her to calm down and also to soften the blow if miracle upon miracles my plans went smoothly. Which worked, thankfully.
Once we said our goodbyes and she headed off to her own school, I sighed and continued to walk along, almost running into Gokudera and the man that dragged him off earlier. "Ehhh? Reborn! What are you doing here still?" I gasped, and then quickly apologized to Gokudera for stepping on his foot which he simply waved away saying it was his fault for being in the way.
"You have no intention of going to the dance with Haru, do you?"
"Eh? W-was it that obvious…?"
"Decimo is too good for a stupid woman like her, anyways!"
"G-Gokudera-kun…"
"You're lucky her judgment is clouded by her infatuation to you. You're a terrible liar, Dame-Tsuna," Reborn simply cut in as he started to walk towards the school, not allowing me to give much of a response.
"You had me fooled, Decimo. Reborn-san is just a professional," Gokudera whispered in my ear as we followed after him, nodding reassuringly. But it was hard to be reassured by things like that when you never know when they are sincere or not…
~.*.~.*.~.*.~
School was uneventful for the most part. I struggled, Gokudera shined brilliantly, and Yamamoto managed through with what appeared to be pure luck. Which was another thing I lacked in vast amounts. As we broke for lunch, we decided to go somewhere away from all their fangirls and went up to the roof. Luckily Hibari wasn't around having a nap, though we knew we would have to be quick. But we still managed to have a rather pleasant conversation as we ate.
"So, Tsuna, have you got a date yet? Never got to ask you about it earlier."
Glancing to the tanned boy who was gulping back some sushi which his dad must have made, I blushed.
"Idiot! Of course Decimo would have a date by now! What sort of girl wouldn't like hi—"
"Actually…um…"
"—none of them are any good, that's the problem! They're all a bunch of stupid women, so Decimo shouldn't even have to bother himself with th—"
"G-Gokudera-kun…"
"—sides he has me, and I'm all Decimo really nee—"
"Gokudera-kun!" Finally managing to get myself heard, I continued to blush and poke at the cutesy lunchbox Mom made for me. "I don't have a date yet, no…"
"Well, that's fine, Decimo! There's plenty of girls out there that would die to be with you! And if not, I'm always here!"
"Um, I don't think that would be allowed…" I murmured, scratching my cheek in embarrassment. "But, um. It's not that I don't have anyone to go with… I mean, I don't but…uh…"
"You have someone in mind to ask out?" Yamamoto cut in, smiling knowingly over his water bottle. Chuckling a little as my face reddened further, he winked. "Who is it? Is it…um…what's her name again…Sasa…"
"Sasagawa?"
Hearing the dark, almost bitter tone in Gokudera's voice, I cringed slightly, but didn't reply, too embarrassed to admit it. Of course this signaled that their guess was correct.
"Ah, Tsuna likes Kyoko, I keep forgetting," Yamamoto laughed, leaning back against the bars that surrounded the school's roof. "When do you plan to ask her?"
"U-um. Well, I told Haru I would ask Kyoko-chan today…and if I was rejected I would go with her…" I mumbled, wanting to hide away in embarrassment now.
"Well, if Decimo is going to ask, then now would be the perfect time! Don't worry; I'll support you no matter what!" Gokudera declared, jumping up. Though I could tell his enthusiasm was just an act. But before I could protest, he grabbed my wrist and we were off.
~.*.~.*.~.*.~
Reaching the courtyard where Kyoko usually took her lunch, we hid behind a wall, waiting for a good time to go over. Yamamoto had followed us after cleaning up our remaining lunch, and was now hidden with us.
"Looks like a good time, Tsuna. Not many people are around…"
"What's that supposed to mean, huh? You think he's going to get rejected?" Gokudera snapped. "It doesn't matter how many people are around, no matter what, Decimo will be accepted!"
"I was just saying! Tsuna's nervous about it, so wouldn't it be easier to do if not many people are watching?"
"Tch, as long as I'm here, Decimo should have no problem with his courage! And even if I wasn't, Decimo is the bravest man there is!"
"G-Gokudera-kun…" I sighed at hearing his constant praise over me. Talk about blind infatuation, Reborn…Gokudera seemed chock-full of it. But Yamamoto was right…the more people that were around, the more nervous I would be, and I was already quite scared as it was. Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my frantic heart, as the two behind me seemed to be making plans to go over to Kyoko with me, except in disguise. But the last thing I needed was them embarrassing me. "Um, guys, it's okay. I'll do this…on my own." I would have to, right? I couldn't keep relying on everyone else to do things for me! It made me look weak and unimpressive and Kyoko would be sure to be uninterested and I couldn't have that!
So, taking another gulp of air, I pulled myself up and started to walk over to the brunette and redhead. But a few steps away from Gokudera and Yamamoto and what little bit of courage I forced myself to feel was quickly washed away and I regretted doing this at all. I should just not go at all…it was only a dumb dance, right? I couldn't even dance! A-and sure, seeing Kyoko in a pretty dress, all dolled up would be really nice…but would it be worth it for all the embarrassment I would go through in front of the entire school at something like that?
But before I could turn tail and run off, the brunette spotted me staring. "Kyoko…the hentai is staring at you."
Freezing, I blushed deeply at hearing this, wishing I could die right now. Or more rather, feeling like I would. But Kyoko, bless her heart, didn't seem to mind so much. Or maybe she just didn't notice. "Oh? Tsuna-kun! Hello~" she waved with a pleasant, innocent smile, making me almost melt on the spot.
"Sawada…if you're looking to ask Kyoko to the dance, you're too late," the other girl called out, draping an arm over the back of the bench to look at me properly.
"Eh? H-Hana-chan…" Kyoko blushed, trying to stop the girl from saying anything more.
"She already got a date quite some time ago, really. So unless you have something else to say, why don't you leave us to eat in peace?"
Stunned, it took a second or two longer than it should for me to react. Bowing my head quickly, I apologized before hurrying off, doing my best to blink back the tears that threatened. I should have known…in fact I did know. Why did I delude myself with the possibility of being with her? I was so stupid. Someone like her…of course would never be interested in someone like me…
Ignoring Gokudera and Yamamoto who called out to me, I took off on a run, unable to hold back my disappointment any longer. I couldn't even take comfort in the fact that I wasn't technically rejected. Just knowing that someone else liked her, and she liked them back…that was too painful…
~.*.~.*.~.*.~
"Oka-saaan, stop…! You're embarrassing me!"
"But Tsu-kun is so handsome~!"
Squirming away from my mother, I straightened out the dinner jacket I was wearing, not in any mood to be her little doll. It was bad enough that I couldn't get out of going to the dance once Reborn told her the reason that I ran out of the school in the middle of lunch like I did. I was just grateful that Reborn hadn't forced me to follow up on my promise to Haru… But I would probably take going to the dance with her than going with Mom like I was now. Honestly, only losers would go to the dance with their mother, right? Losers who couldn't get dates…and sure, I fit that description perfectly, but it wasn't like I needed to spell it out for the rest of the school!
But it couldn't be helped any more… Entering the gymnasium where the main part of the dance was taking place, I could feel eyes burning into me, even though it looked like most everyone was focused on their own dates.
"Oh, Tsu-kun, this is so nostalgic~ I remember when your father asked me to the dance, we ended up being th—"
As Mom started to go on a story that I wasn't even sure was true or not, I was suddenly pulled into a crowd by someone grabbing my wrist.
"G-Gokudera-kun!" I gasped in surprise, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Decimo! I'm so glad you made it! I was waiting here ever since they were doing set-up! Not that I mind of course. But Decimo looks really good! So it was worth the wait!" the boy grinned, maybe a little too excitedly. But it was hard to swallow his words, considering how nice he looked. Then again, Gokudera always looked really nice.
"U-um. But if Gokudera-kun is here…you have a date, right?" I asked, trying to avoid the touchy subject of appearances. Really, I felt all stiff and out of place in this thing, which was funny since everyone else was wearing almost the same outfit. More or less.
But my question quickly wiped the smile from the Italian's face as he frowned and crossed his arms. "…Yeah. Stupid woman came up to me on my way home and asked if you were accepted or not. I of course couldn't say no, because I refused to risk letting her stupidity rub off on you or anything! But then she started crying so I had to…ask her myself. Only because she wouldn't shut up, though!" he said, almost smacking someone as he flailed his arm, far too caught up in trying to distract me from the ever slight blush on his cheeks. But at least hearing that made me feel a lot better.
"Aha, thank you, Gokudera-kun~ Where is she, anyways?" I asked quickly, to keep him from getting too excited over the gratitude I expressed.
"Eh? Oh, the baseball idiot is dancing with her right now. I dunno what happened to his own date, probably realized how stupid he was or something and dumped him. Tch."
Humming, I slowly nodded, my eyes wandering through the breaks in the crowd, trying to spot anyone I could recognize. I was glad to see that Mom was now dancing with one of the teachers, which meant I was free from her embarrassing me too much. I could also see Yamamoto and Haru together, just as Gokudera said, both looking rather happy. Beside them, I even spotted Hana and Kyoko's older brother, though unlike the couple before them, they didn't look that happy. Or maybe they were just embarrassed? It was hard to say.
"Nn, Gokudera-kun… Have you seen Kyoko-chan anywhere?" I asked, looking back to the boy beside me.
"Nope, she hasn't arrived yet. I heard lawn-head saying something about her being picked up by her date…he came in early to help with the set-up."
"Oh…" Feeling my heart drop again, I turned my attention back to the dancers as the crowd cleared a little more, giving me a better view. This was kind of really boring and depressing. Standing off to the side, watching everyone else have fun, being with the people they liked… About to sigh, Gokudera held out his hand for me.
"Hey, Decimo…would you like to—"
But before he could finish, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Jumping a little, I turned around to find it was Reborn, who held a finger to his lips before dragging me towards the bathroom we were right beside. On his ear, I noticed a green earpiece, his face quickly growing dark. Darker than normal.
Once we were in the restroom, he turned to me. "There's trouble, Dame-Tsuna. Kyoko is late because her date has no intention of bringing her here, and their parents aren't home. You better go quickly," he said, suddenly pulling off the earpiece which turned into a handgun that he suddenly pressed against my forehead. And before anything else, there was a loud bang and I flew back, landing with a slump against the wall.
I was filled with a lot of regrets at that moment. I regretted not being brave enough to ask Kyoko out sooner. I regretted not asking her, even though she already had a date, simply to offer the chance of an alternative route. I regretted not getting a chance to save her. Not getting a chance to tell her exactly how I feel properly. I regretted not doing more to be a better person that she would be happy to be with. There was so much regret…I couldn't take it. I couldn't just let myself die like this. There were things that needed to be done. There were words that needed to be said, a boy to beat the snot out of, and a girl to be rescued.
In the next instant, my eyes snapped open and I took off out of the gym, barreling past people who stared, whispering and giggling to each other over my nakedness. But I didn't care, I didn't even notice. If I was going to die, I had to do it with no regrets. If I were to die, I wanted to make sure I had lived as much of my life as I possibly could have. I no longer cared if I was embarrassed, or scared, or anything. As long as I could help Kyoko and confess to her properly, that was all that mattered…
~.*.~.*.~.*.~
Reaching her house in impossible amount of time, I broke the door down, to find the object of my affections pinned down under what looked like a high school boy. "KYOKO! I will protect you with my Dying Will!" I announced, grabbing the rather startled teen and mercilessly beating him until the point of blackout. But at that moment, the flame died and I crumpled from exhaustion. Luckily Reborn arrived at the same time and collected the teen, saying something about taking him to Hibari or the police for a proper punishment. I didn't quite catch it over Kyoko's worried voice.
"Tsuna-kun! Are you alright?"
Looking up with bleary eyes at the girl leaning over me, I groaned slightly, only to shoot up to a sit, in an attempt to hide my near nakedness from her. "K-Kyoko-chan! I-I should be asking you that!" I gasped out, my face bright red as the whole situation was slowly sinking in. Here I was, only in my underwear, sitting on the floor of Kyoko's house, while she stood in front of me in the cutest dress I had ever seen.
But at the question, she smiled and knelt to my level. "I'm fine…thank you, Tsuna-kun~ I don't know why I agreed to go with him…Nii-san promised he was a good person, but… I should have known something was wrong if he was a high-schooler that was still going to middle-school," she said, with a small, embarrassed laugh. Though I didn't find it so funny. But I was glad she was safe and not too traumatized.
"Oh, but…may I ask…what happened to your clothes? If you need to borrow some, I'm sure Nii-san has some old clothes~"
"Eh? I-it's okay, I—" But I didn't get a chance to deny her offer as she hurried off up the stairs. It wasn't too long, however, until she returned, what looked like a tuxedo in her arms.
"How lucky! This was his a long time ago, but it's still almost brand new!" she smiled, holding out the tux. But seeing my stunned face, her smile dimmed. "Nn? Are you…not going to the party, Tsuna-kun?"
Looking up sharply, I caught my breath. "Eh? Uh, um… I-I don't have…anyone to go with…" I stammered out, almost dying again as she smiled once more, though this time a little more coyly.
"Neither do I, Tsuna-kun…"
~.*.~.*.~.*.~
I couldn't believe it. But I had to. I already tried every trick in the book to test if it was a dream, and none of them worked. So it was real, right? I was dancing…with Kyoko. I couldn't believe it. Unable to stop smiling, we twirled and spun, a few times making myself trip up. But Kyoko was a very good dancer and covered my blunders skillfully.
"S-sorry I'm not very good a-at dancing," I stuttered, more focused on not stepping on her toes to pay attention on my words. But she simply giggled.
"Not many are, really. But Tsuna-kun was very cool earlier, so I think it doesn't matter that much~" she smiled, and leaned upwards, giving me a soft, quick kiss on the cheek, nearly making me fall over in surprise. Instead I just stopped, and stared at her. "Eh? Was that wrong? I-I'm so—" This time, it was her turn to freeze, as my lips pressed against her forehead.
Pulling away, I smiled down at her, both our faces rather pink with blush. For a few seconds, we looked at each other, until we realized where we were exactly and laughed in embarrassment before going back to dancing the night away…