Yey! Our exams our over and this is my summer's first Sunday (I would have posted this chapter yesterday but things happened)! I'm so happy! And to celebrate it, I decided to write an idea that has been running around my mind, helped by a purple-colored bunny giving off lots of ideas that I barely know how to write (or remember since it practically gave me a brain overload. School just ended, damn it. Our tests just ended, don't expect me to remember much).
Background: This story, as the title suggests, is inspired by Monster Tamer Tsuna! Replays of KHR is being shown in TV and brining in another round of KHR-addiction. Then I suddenly thought of the videos saved here in my laptop and then came across my downloaded videos of MTT. I watched it and fell in love with it again. I can't bring out this idea from my head since then.
This story is different from canon MTT! First, it's got my all-time fave pair, 1827 (-insert fangirl scream-). Second, I tweaked the circumstances a bit (no, a lot). Third, there would be more characters (and maybe Ryohei would actually do something here XD). Fourth, it won't be total crack (though I would love to write something as funny as the canon. It's just that humor isn't my strongest point T_T).
REVIEW, okay!
Summary: Namimori Village is attacked by a vampire. Powerless and totally under his mercy, they agree to send humans for his monthly meal. Their greatest mistake, however, was sending Dame-Tsuna as a sacrifice. AU. /Eventual 1827/
Monster Tamer Tsuna!
CHAPTER ONE: Of Monsters and Humans
"Monsters are vile creatures. Outside, they come in various forms. They are of unusual size, shape or appearance – sometimes human-like, at times they are like creatures from a fairy tale. But most of the time, they have hideous and unsightly appearances, the very epitome of what humans fear and hate. They come in variety, but there is one thing common among all of them, and that is they have no heart. They are incapable of feeling what we humans are capable of. They only know how to destroy and cause fear and panic and pain to those below them. And for monsters, humans are below them. This is the main reason why monsters attack humans, sometimes for reason, sometimes for mere fun."
The teacher paused, looking at the forty-some students in front of him and was pleased to know that they were all hanging onto his every word. He smiled inwardly at their typical childish reactions. Some, mostly girls, were sitting there with scared expressions while the "big boys" were trying their hardest to not appear scared, but the teacher could see the way they trembled slightly as they looked at him with wide eyes. The teacher gave his six year old students a warm and reassuring smile.
"But don't worry, this is the reason why you are having class with me. You are here to learn more about these monsters. Where they come from, what to do when you're in their presence, what they are capable of, and more. Are you ready?" the teacher asked as excitedly as he could to lift up the tense atmosphere. He realized once again how intelligent six year olds can be. They do know when to be serious. He smile got wider when he received a loud "yes" from his students and he resumed his lecture.
The teacher didn't notice the small boy with gravity-defying brown hair and a very, very, pale face who was sitting way back the room pass out due to fear. The other students did though. They laughed silently.
The little boy, Tsuna, didn't realize he just established his reputation of being the daycare's most wimpy kid at that very moment.
"Waaah! Save me!" Tsuna shouted as he ran through the streets. People's head turned as he passed by then continued to stare as a group of boys passed them too. This group was chasing Tsuna because of a very stupid reason.
"Come back here Loser! You ruined my favorite shirt!" one of them said and true enough, there was a large stain on his white shirt. The stain covered a big part of his front. A very stupid reason, right? Well, they don't think so.
"It'll come off when you wash it! So why don't you go home and wash it?" Tsuna shouted back almost hysterically as he narrowly avoided a passing cart. He stumbled a bit but fortunately, he managed to catch himself before he fell. Though his pursuers were closer than ever now.
"Why you-! Come back here!" was his answer but Tsuna didn't slow down. Instead, he picked up his pace and turned another corner. They were nearing the far outskirts of their village. There weren't any houses or buildings here now, just half-dead trees and sickly yellow grass around. When Tsuna realized this, he finally slowed down and turned around only to see no one there. He looked around and squinted, looking for a sign of anybody around. There, in the distance, he could see the group who were chasing him earlier walking back to the village laughing.
Tsuna now fully realized the situation he was currently in. He was alone. In the middle of... where exactly? He slowly turned his head to look at his back. There, behind him was an abandoned factory. He had heard stories of this place since he was a kid, it was one of the most famous bedtime stories* for children. From what he remembers, a mad scientist lived here doing some experiments. The villagers left him in peace since he was a strange one. But something went wrong and one of the experiments went berserk and attacked the village. That scientist fled the place when the villagers grew wise of his experiments and raided the building with pitchforks and torches. He couldn't remember what happened next, it was told to him a long time ago.
Well, he wasn't going in there so Tsuna prepared himself to run all the way back to his house again when lightning suddenly flashed, lighting the dark skies and Tsuna jumped with a loud shriek of surprise. Out of the blue, rain poured down from the sky and Tsuna had no choice but to go inside the warehouse to get out of the heavy rain. He couldn't even see, so there was a good chance that he would trip on the way to his home and a cold the day tomorrow.
He entered the dilapidated building warily, jumping at the slightest noises and creaks. It was pitch dark in there and Tsuna regretted his choice of coming inside. Nevertheless, he pushed through his decision when a loud thunderclap erupted from outside. Well, he wouldn't want to get caught in the middle of a storm now, would he?
Another flash of lighting and Tsuna momentarily saw the insides of the building. There wasn't anything much inside, only a bunch of white sheets covering something big in the back and a few upturned tables and chairs. Various objects like screws and wrenches were littered on the floor and shattered pieces of glass. The villagers from long time ago must have ransacked the whole building for anything dangerous and burning them. It was a surprise that they didn't burn down the whole building.
He made his way towards the once white sheets over the back, rubbing his arms to make himself warm on the way. It was starting to get really cold and shivers ran up and down his whole body. He was still deciding whether it was because of the cold or fear. Maybe both.
Tsuna walked blindly in the dark, feeling his way around. He didn't even realize that the sheets were already by his feet and he got caught up in them. Being the Dame-Tsuna he was, he tried to disentangle himself only to fall to the ground and taking the sheets with him. The heavy cloth covered his whole body entirely. Panic and adrenaline taking control of his body, he ripped the material away from him.
Another flash of lighting and Tsuna screamed.
That person is humongous.
He stumbled away from the… thing in front of him. From its appearance, it could pass of as human. Except for its huge size which was almost ten feet. And the large screw, driven to the side of its head, and the stitches over the forehead and the shock of silvery white hair - a hair color common for monsters.
Tsuna screamed again. More out of fear this time. He stumbled back with his arms flailing wildly to keep his balance. When he fell, his arm caught on something. It twisted painfully when that something moved. He could only watch in mixed shock and terror as the strange machine blared to life, lights blinking from various buttons. A sound that could only be machines being turned on after years of disuse could be heard over the noise of the storm from outside. It was almost deafening, and Tsuna closed his ears as he flinched away.
The huge thing suddenly twitched, the chains that held him to the wall clanked against each other and Tsuna watched with eyes wide as saucers as it snapped in one movement of the huge wrists. The thick, metal straps that encircled his body for restraint broke easily like twigs under one's foot. The monster's bandaged fists shot up, easily destroying the walls of the building and leaving large cracks on the floor where it stomped its feet, the head snapped up in attention to look at him and bellowed.
"KYOKUGEEEEEN!"
Tsuna passed out.
...
"Really Tsu-kun, you should be more careful the next time," his mom, Nana, reprimanded lightly as he put some disinfectant on Tsuna's wounds. After worrying over her child for a few hours, Tsuna finally arrived home soaking wet and with some few injuries and more bruises. Tsuna said that he tripped and Nana believed that because her Tsu-kun was born clumsy. She only wished that he would grow out of it eventually.
What she didn't know was that Tsuna got pinned down by a large automaton after he passed out. And that it took him forever to get out of the accursed building.
He could still feel the weight pressing down on him.
It was a lucky break that the large monster ran out of power before he went berserk on the whole village.
Still, Tsuna knew he would have nightmares from now on.
It was the start of Tsuna's fear towards monsters.
It was a sunny day full of cheerful sunlight and the endless expanse of the great blue sky over rolls of green hills and towering mountains. Viewed from above, the panoramic view was more than enough to take one's breath away. Especially with the vibrant colors that splashed over the earth – the pink, purple, yellow, red, of the fields of flowers, the shimmering crystal blue water that snaked through the smooth carpet of green, the icy blue mountains with snowy white topping the sharp summits. Even the mysterious, dark shade of jade that was the forest added to the mystic grandeur of the scene.
A small boy with gravity-defying hair smiled as his eyes took the serene view in front of him. From his perch on the gigantic tree standing proudly on one of the valley of hills surrounding his village, his eyes strayed in the very middle of the green. There, sticking out the green was a village made up of houses with red-tiled roofs and beige-colored paint. There are even chimneys jutting out the slanted roofs. The residential area that surrounded the outskirts of Namimori# was more like the typical small-village scene. However, things got more lavish when you get to the center of town.
The streets, instead of the usual dirt roads, was made up of cobblestones. The buildings also ranged from old-fashioned with high windows, lofty roofs, and elaborate arch, to modernized buildings with newer paint jobs and stronger foundations. One thing that was common in all buildings, however, are the complicated runes drawn on every surface. Some were more noticeable than others while some were faded to the point of beyond recognition. This was to protect the village from sudden monster attacks, even though the valley borders were already taken care of by mages by putting a spell that also acted as a barrier for monsters. He thanked whatever deity out there for small mercies.
"Hey! Dame-Tsuna!" a loud and obnoxious voice shouted from below, nearly causing the afore-mentioned boy to fall from the branch he was sitting on. The young brunet looked down to see two boys looking up at him. From the look on their faces and the sudden gut-clenching feeling he got, this won't end well. They would probably torment him again.
"What are you doing up in the tree Dame-Tsuna?" He neared and put a hand on one of the lower branches. Tsuna wondered fearfully if he was going to come up just to drag him down. But as if thinking more about it, the kid let go and motioned for his friend to come nearer. He whispered something in his ear and the two of them snickered.
"You could stay up there as long as you want, Dame-Tsuna. Being a tree-hugger suits you," the other one shouted up at him and the two ran off while laughing. Tsuna gave off a sigh of relief before looking around the field just below the hill the tree he was sitting on was located. He saw his classmates running around or lying on the green grass. Today was their field trip and the school decided to go at the valley fields just located outside the village. Not only was the place great for having picnics but it was full of plants that was not only beautiful but magic. There were the normal flowers like roses and lavender but others such as sunbursts^ that looked like miniature suns as they glowed and sparkled like golden fire under the sun.
He observed as the two kids who caught him lounging on the tree walk up to their homeroom teacher. They told him something and pointed towards the tree. He immediately hid behind the leafy branches to avoid being seen. The teacher looked furious as he stormed up the hill.
"Sawada! What are you doing up in that tree! Get down here you naughty boy! How many times do we have to say not to stray from the group?" the teacher nearly screamed at him. The man crossed his arms across his chest and tried his best to calm down. Note, tried. He looked really mad and Tsuna was starting to get scared.
He immediately crawled to the tree's thick trunk and started to lower himself carefully. Now that he was going down, he regretted his decision of going up in the first place. How was he able to climb this tree anyway? All he remembers was that he wanted to climb it. He so wanted to climb it. So he did with a resolution he hadn't had before.
And why did he go up in the first place? Oh, because of the two boys you were the same one who got him busted. Tsuna was running away from them since he didn't want to 'play' with them today. He was still sore from yesterday's beating. With reasons beyond Tsuna, the kids didn't like him that much. He suspected that maybe it was because he was such a klutz, or maybe because he was generally useless. Anyways, every kid avoided him like the plague or teased him like there was no tomorrow. More often than not, those teasing got out of the line, and ended up to bullying. Very violent bullying. Since the age of six, Tsuna is an expert in the makings when it comes to hiding injuries from everyone. Right now, he was trying to learn first-aid without his mama noticing with his constant questions and the sudden decrease of bandages from their first-aid kit.
As Tsuna thought of this, his foot suddenly slipped and he almost fell to the ground if not for his firm grip on the branch. He was now hanging by one hand and the teacher was starting to panic as he called for help and the two boys were trying hard not to laugh at his predicament. The boy merely gritted his teeth as he held tighter for dear life.
It didn't take long for the adults to get him down, and for the teacher to immediately launch into his long-winded reprimanding of him. He was utterly and completely humiliated in front of the whole school, again. For the nth time this week. And as Tsuna was loath to admit it, he was getting used to it. He was old enough to know that getting used to this kind of things at the age of six wasn't good, after all.
Like the shy and timid person he was, Tsuna took the whole thing in silence while flushing red due to embarrassment. He didn't look up from his shoes even as the teacher ended his tirade and lead him back to the group of students that were now being informed to the different kinds of fauna found near the village.
One of the girls noticed his hunched form and furrowed eyebrows. It was Kyoko, one of the nice girls in his class, no, the whole daycare. She took in his appearance before sending him her bright smile which she was famous for. Tsuna couldn't doubt that she looked really cute.
"Are you okay? Sa-sa…" she trailed off here, her face scrunched up as if deep in thought. She then brightened again as she spoke his name. "Sawada-san," she ended happily.
Though he should be put out because his own classmate didn't know his name, Tsuna was happy that after – days? Weeks? Months? He honestly didn't know – a long time, someone was speaking to him with only kindness in their voice. Now this was a true angel. Tsuna looked down shyly and fiddled with his thumbs. "Yes, Sasagawa-chan," he replied quietly.
The girl merely gave him another smile before motioning for him to come closer. "Do you know what this flower is called?" she asked as she pointed to a bell-shaped flower that rang like bell-chimes every time the wind blew. Tsuna thanked the gods that his mother liked flowers and plants so much that she ingrained every name in his memory. At least he won't humiliate himself in front of Sasagawa-chan.
Ever since that day, Tsuna always liked to go up the hills. He didn't know why, but the view just calmed him down. And maybe because it was the place where he first had a friend. By now, he and Kyoko were friends and he was also well acquainted with Kurokawa Hana, Kyoko's best friend. Life was starting to look good a bit.
Or maybe because he enjoyed the quiet isolation, where no one was there to beat him up and the warm feeling he always had whenever he watched the sky was close to the feeling his mom and two friends gave off when near him. Nevertheless, this was his special spot, a place only he goes too.
He would often go here during the weekends and after school during weekdays. His mom just gave a warning for him not to stray off since she also go home from work six in the evening. Nana would want her son to spend time outside rather than leave him alone in their house. And since it was still early, maybe he'll lie down and have some rest. He closed his eyes.
"Hey, the prince wants to ask you something," someone said and Tsuna's wide brown eyes immediately snapped open. There, standing above him was... someone. He was probably just a few years older than him, maybe around ten. He had blond hair with longs bangs that covered his eyes so that he couldn't see them. The boy had a big grin plastered over his face. There was also a tiara hanging off to the side, almost falling. What caught Tsuna's attention, however, were the ears sticking out of the person's head. Then that means this person... isn't human at all!
"HIIIEEEE!" Tsuna shrieked as he scrambled away as fast as he could. But the person, monster, thing, whatever, was faster and grabbed hold of his shirt's collar from the back and lifted him up from the ground easily. The little brunet flailed and twisted but to no avail, the other... person's hold on him was too strong.
The blond shook him like a rag doll and Tsuna felt the world spin. When the movement stopped, Tsuna was already too far in shock and fear to give any kind of response. The blond looked at him closely and sniffed him gingerly. "Hey, why the sudden scream?" he asked obliviously. It took another round of shaking to get Tsuna to answer.
"T-t-t-t-t-th-tha-that," he stuttered faintly as he pointed at the red, fox-like ears on top of the blond head. It stood out like a sore thumb. The person looked at him with a frown and Tsuna deduced that the person was surprised. He couldn't see top half of his face so he had to make good guesses. The blond lifted one of his hands to feel his ears and Tsuna was surprised to see that the hand went through them like it was an illusion or something. The young boy's mouth dropped open in surprise. Noticing this, the blond put him down, resulting to Tsuna toppling down in surprise.
"O-ow," Tsuna muttered under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head. The other person squatted down so that they were eye-level. "Hey, little boy. You could see the prince's ears?" the boy asked with a toothy grin. Tsuna merely nodded, almost dumbly. The person inhaled deeply and donned a thoughtful frown on his face. Tsuna tilted his head to the side, maybe he should take this opportunity to run away. He didn't want to be eaten by a monster! He learned that monsters were scary and liked to trick people so that they could eat them! Wait, how could the person enter the valley borders in the first place? Before Tsuna could move or ask though, the monster disguised as a human turned to him.
"You're different," he said as he pinched his cheeks and drew his face closer for inspection. Tsuna literally froze, not even breathing as he smelled the monster's strange fragrance. Funny. The person smelled nice. He couldn't describe it, just that it was a nice smell. Sweet with a bit metallic scent in it. He wondered what it was. "How could you see when I'm on my other form? No one had seen through it before. I could even pass through your pathetic borders."
Tsuna didn't understand what the person was saying but kept himself from asking questions. Suddenly, the person sent him another grin but this one looked more relieved. "Would you show me the way to Demon Valley," the person said.
"Eh? But couldn't you, like, smell the way there? Monsters have excellent senses right?" Tsuna blurted out without thinking and promptly slapped both hands to his mouth in horror. Now the person would kill him! He didn't mean to say that. To his relief, the person didn't react violently.
"The scent of the flowers in your village is overwhelming. It's the only thing I could smell for miles around," he stated as he wrinkled his nose disdainfully. Tsuna stared. "I won't go into the village since it reeks of humans, but you have a different smell," he said, taking another whiff. Tsuna was starting to think that was creepy so he edged away a bit. The action didn't go unnoticed and a hand grabbed his arm.
"Hie! Please let go of me!" Tsuna cried out fearfully, brown orbs looking at the blond earnestly. The blond gave him another shake in return. "The way to Demon Valley then."
Tsuna's face scrunched up in thought. Where was the Demon Valley again? He learned that at school! "Um... over there, I think," Tsuna pointed at the general direction with a shaky hand. The blond nodded and let him go.
"The prince owes you his thanks! For that, I'll give you this little gift, ushishi," the 'prince' said as he bared his teeth in a feral manner and Tsuna saw those teeth elongate into sharp fangs, poised as if he was about to bite him. Tsuna's scream was probably heard all over the valley.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Tsuna shouted as he ran away from the deranged demon fox. The blond merely retracted his fangs and grinned as he threw something at the boy. The projectile hit the back of his head and the force sent him falling down, the momentum causing him to roll down the hill. He landed painfully in a tangled mess and the object thrown at him sitting on his chest innocently. It was a box. "Make good use of it! And don't throw it away, peasant." the demon fox said as he finished his laughing fit from his small prank and ran ahead, leaving Tsuna still writhing in pain.
"I hate monsters," Tsuna thought as he went on his way home, the box tucked safely under his arm. He wondered if it was the right decision to take the gift. He looked at it and remembered the monster's parting words. He shivered and simply resolved to hide it and never bother with it again.
*apparently, the monster stories are more popular than fairy tales. Tsuna is probably the only kid who still listens to fairy tales no matter how 'girly' they were.
#I know it was called Vongola Village in canon but I like to call it Namimori Village here.
^a figment of my imagination. I don't know where my brain got the idea from XD
A/N: As you could all see, the first chapter is mostly about Tsuna's childhood. Well, I just wanted to write it. Haha. For the first part, Tsuna is six. Same age when he met his first monster. Tsuna is eight later on. Tsuna was ten when he met his second. As for the most part of the series, Tsuna will be sixteen.
I hope to see you all in the next chapter! Suggestions for scenes are also welcome. You know, anything you like, I'll spend three more chaps (maybe) on Tsuna's childhood. I like to make this story somehow light-hearted, but as I told you, humor isn't my thing. I would also like to know how the first chapter went. Is it good? Bad? Dull? Boring? Awesome? Comments, constructive criticism, and anything that could help me grow as an author are more than welcome.
P.S. Tsuna liked to faint as a kid, didn't he?