Disclaimer: KHR does not belong to me.


Master and the stray.


Xanxus started at the child that was sitting behind the crates and barrels in the alleyway. Dirty rags were covering the small and bruised body, the child's hair was all over the place, grown so long that his face couldn't be seen. He had seen many brats like this one here - it was just that kind of place. But it was the first time for the Varia boss to actually feel one looking back at him.

There was a small shiver from the kid when Xanxus intensified his glare, but the child didn't look away. He kept staring at the man and clutching the clothes he was wearing between his bony fingers. It was like he was weighting something out; making sure that Xaxnus was the right one for whatever he wanted the other to do.

It was interesting, so Xanxus just stared back.

It seemed that the kid had finally made a decision for he stood up, his legs giving out the second he had straightened out, so the kid grabbed a hold of one of the crates to support himself. He looked to be in pain and Xaxnus could see the dried up bloodstains that were staining the bottom part of the kid's clothes.

When the small child was steady enough he limped towards the boss, stopping at an appropriate distance from him, as not to get in Xanxus's way or irritate him more. He tilted his head upwards, the purple bruise in the shape of hands revealing itself on his neck as the kid did so, and opened his mouth, "Mister, you're really strong, right?"

Xaxnus barely heard the question. The kid's voice was just barely there – weak and small and rarely used, apparently. "Of course I am, trash. What do you want."

It wasn't a question. It was an order.

"Mister," the kid let go of the crate he was holding on to and allowed his hands to hang limply on his sides. There was a small intake of breath and then a cough followed, "can you kill me?"

"Why should I?" Xanxus wasn't a man to hold himself back from killing someone, much less when they asked for it themselves. But his intuition whispered that he should wait and see why the child had made such a request. It also said that no matter the answer he shouldn't kill the child.

The kid paused, his legs trembling as he tried to keep standing, and then he looked down, "Because Tsu shouldn't be alive. That's what Tsu's papa and all the others said." He looked at his little fingers and then back at Xaxnus, "That's why, mister, can you kill me?"

"Fuck no." the answer was immediate. It wasn't because Xanxus didn't want to kill – he liked killing. But he, even he, would never kill a child, even if the kid would beg for him to do the deed and take his life. No, even in the dirty world he lived in there were things you did and did not do.

Also, his intuition told him that the kid had to live. He had to live, preferably by Xanxus's side. His intuition never lied, that damned thing.

The child had flinched. From Xanxus's voice or maybe from the fact that he had been denied, the man didn't know. The kid's legs gave out, the small, frail body fell on the ground and the bony knees began to bleed a little. The kid kept quiet though, not a sound came from his mouth, only a small whine.

Xanxus stared at the kid and then took two steps to stand right in front of him, his red eyes staring at the trembling kid. He reached forward, grabbed the kid by the back of the dirty shirt that was covering the small body and lifted the child up, so that they were on the same eye level.

"Name." it was an order, but not as harsh as he would usually make it sound.

He presumed that the kid had blinked, he wouldn't really know because of the hair everywhere, and then opened his mouth before closing it again. On the second time the kid spoke, his voice trembling a little, "Tsuna. Tsunayoshi, actually."

Xanxus narrowed his eyes slightly at the brat. He'd call him brat or trash for now, but he would keep the name in mind, just in case. The Varia boss took a better hold of the kid, slinging the frail body over his shoulder and keeping it steady with the same arm that he had used to pick the street rat up. "First thing we do is cut that fucking hair, it's pissing me off."

It had been just a simple mission of killing one asshole, that's it. So why was he now going home with a brat he had just picked up? Xanxus tsk-ed and made his way back to the car – he'd think about it later. Right now he had to get back to the mansion, write a fucking report and then he would figure out what to do with the brat slung over his shoulder.


A/N: I don't know. I really don't know. There will be more chapters yet to come, yes.

If anyone will comment on this being a stolen idea from another fic that as about Xansus and Tsuna in a setting like this, then no, I did not steal the idea. There will be a different plot line, don't worry.

Ayingott out.