This is definitely the last childhood chapter of the tuna fish turned monstrous. I apologize for the long wait, and for al of those people who actually kept with this story. I applaud thee who have done so. With this, I give yo, The Dragon of the Vongola.
The Dragon of the Vongola: Boss
Childhood: Part Two (Finale)
One Year and Five Days Later
October 17
6:56 p.m.
The now eight year old brunette sat on his bed in the corner of the room, his head buried in a large book titled The Italian Dictionary. For his birthday, Maman had taken him to a book store. At the time, Tsuna had not been a big fan of books in general. Lots of kids at his school had picked on kids sitting innocently in the corner with books in their hands, and the brunette (no matter how much he protested) could not fight off big brutes. Plus, Maman had not been happy with the bruises marring his skin after he returned home. She would look at him with brown eyes full of sadness and anger, and guilt would flow rapidly within. Starting that day, Tsuna started wearing long sleeves, fashionable scarves, and bands to hide the multiple injuries he had received, pretending not to notice the knowing looks she still sent him.
Kawahira's book store, however, had a very mysterious aura around it. Stepping into it was like stepping into a new world. Books on long wooden shelves lined the walls, each bookshelf having a bag hanging upon the rack attached to the end like an accessory. Unlike new bookstores, Kawahira's held only informative books about random subjects. (I.e. Dragons, supernatural, dominoes, dictionaries.) There were no fairy tales or kids stories, just Grimm and biographies. As proclaimed in the store's name, the man who ran the book store was Kawahira. Short white hair, wide eyes, and loose clothing- it was very odd to see such a relaxed adult. Not only was his attire weird, but when Tsuna had finally chosen the books he wanted, the bespectacled eyes looked at him like he could see straight through his soul. The brunette felt revealed in front of the man, and his inner dragon didn't like that at all. Thankfully, the man quickly checked out the books and before he knew it, they were back at home.
His interest in different languages, however, came from his father. When the man had come to visit, Tsuna had listened to a conversation over the phone while Maman cooked, and he was fascinated! His father sounded so nice and fluid speaking the foreign language. Could he ever sound that native? There was only one way to find out.
Several days later, the whole Italian dictionary had been memorized. Proud of himself, the brunette promised himself to test it out later when his father returned. (Little did he know that the time for that wouldn't be until a certain wrathful liger arrives in Namimori, Japan.) He wasn't satisfied. A churning sensation in his gut had Tsuna rummaging through his bag before plucking two more dictionaries. Now, what other languages could he learn . . .?
Two Years Later
October 12
7:11 a.m.
When Chinese Celestial dragons feel that their host is prepared, then the true transformations begin to take place. This takes place because the celestial dragon is the primary caretaker of their host. If said host is mentally unprepared yet physically prepared, the transformation will not take place. The same is to be said vice versa. The host must be prepared both mentally and physically before any changes can occur. Some may ask why physical strength is needed, and the answer to that is unknown. We can only hypothesize that a person's physical state is their health, and their mental state is self-explanatory. A person too weak in either category will either die, or become insane.
The first stage is what most knows as puberty for dragons. The host's body fully adapts to the dragon's (scales, sharpened teeth, abnormal strength and agility, enhanced senses, and an increased storage for knowledge. (Dragons are said to hoard knowledge and gold for eras until they die, and even then they keep it hidden.) Although the host may or may not grow in that month period, the dragons' puberty will be severely different from a human's puberty.
The second stage is-
"Tsu-kun! Wake up, young man; you're going to be late!"
The little brunette blinked, the book closing with a sharp snap.
"Coming, kaa-san!"
Hopping off of the bed, Tsuna shrugged off his pajamas, switched into his normal Namimori uniform, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and ran down the stairs. Kissing Nana on the cheek, he grabbed a piece of buttered toast and a link of sausage and rushed out of the house with an ittekimasu. His mother shook her head, holding her cheek while smiling.
Rushing down the streets and avoiding the usual merchants had never been a problem for Tsuna. Ducking under arms heaving large boxes, and sliding between narrow spaces sometimes felt like a game; a game in which he were the mouse and time, the cat.
"P-Please don't do this!" A meager voice whimpered. Tsuna blinked, looking around the street for the voice and nearly giving the woman carrying a basket of apples a heart attack. He apologized profusely but did not stop running, rounding a corner in time to see a trio of what looked to be the fourth years huddling around a curled up ball of red hair. His stomach churned uncomfortably- it was never a good thing to get involved with bullies. He was only a second year, and they looked to be about a head taller than him; however, he couldn't just leave the puppy there. That was practically abuse! With a soft sigh, Tsuna called out to the three, surprising himself with how clear his voice was.
"Animal abuse isn't allowed within Namimori." Hands clenched at his side, the boy stood tall despite the butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "What did the puppy do to deserve this?"
"Ah?" One of them with dark brown hair stated, looking down at the puppy. "What are ya talkin 'bout, kid? This isn't a puppy." Stepping aside, Tsuna discovered that the trembling mass of red wasn't, in fact, a puppy, but a kid that looked to be a bit older than him. Heat rushed to his cheeks, but he continued on.
"It doesn't matter. Nobody deserves to be hurt like that."
"Yeah?" The red head flinched as the boy landed another kick to his side. "Whatcha gonna do about it?"
What was he going to do about it? Fight- no, he was weak. Run away? No, he couldn't leave the red head to get even more hurt.
"I won't call Hibari-san," Tsuna stated nonchalantly, flipping open his mobile. Everybody knew Hibari. Just one mention of his name was enough to scatter a gang of thugs, so hopefully none of them would catch his bluff.
"Hi-Hibari?!"
They scattered quicker than the flies near humans leaving the trembling mess behind.
"It's okay now," the brunette reassured keeping his distance of at least five steps. "They won't bother you today with me around."
That seemed to do the trick. Uncurling from a ball, he could see uncharacteristic red hair, pale skin covered in bruises, and odd red eyes glancing at him cautiously. The red head wore the standard Namimori uniform though it had been dirtied beyond compare; Tsuna always had a spare within his locker.
"Thank you for saving me," the red head thanked.
"I couldn't leave you to them, and I'm sorry that you have to deal with them. I have my own bullies to deal with too, haha…Um, if it isn't too personal, why are you speaking Italian?"
The boy's face lit up, his face now the same color as his hair. "I don't- I didn't know- I mean, I knew, it's just… Um, my name is Enma, Kozato Enma."
Tsuna smiled. "Sawada, Tsunayoshi. I'd like to be called Tsuna though."
"Tsuna-kun, then."
By the time they arrived at Namimori Elementary, most of the children had made it into their classes. As soon as Enma had changed into the spare uniform, they had rushed to their homeroom, efficiently creating a scene as Tsuna tripped over his shoe tie in his haste to get to class on time. As an effect, Enma also fell on to Tsuna just as the bell rang. Their breathing was ragged and heavy; faces flushed, and grins bright.
"Who's your friend, Tsuna?"
The boy in question blinked, glancing behind him to find the baseball loving second year with a large grin upon his face. When did Yamamoto start calling me Tsuna?
"Did you mean Enma-kun?"
"Is that who the redhead is? Hi, Enma! I'm Yamamoto, Takeshi, but you can call me Takeshi. I try to get Tsuna too, but it never works."
Enma flushed looking a bit uncomfortable. Tsuna had felt the same whenever his classmate began talking, but Yamamoto wasn't a bad person. Something about him just soothed his mind rather than scramble it like most people.
"A-ah…"
Tsuna laughed watching Yamamoto continue to pester his newly made friend into joining him for lunch.
"Maybe if Tsuna-kun does, then I'll go too."
His laughter abruptly halted, brown eyes glancing over towards the innocent redhead he called a friend. Said friend glanced at the brunette with wide, red eyes and a small smile.
Come lunch time, Yamamoto, Enma, and Tsuna could be found on the rooftop eating sushi and their homemade lunches. The California roll had to be his favorite; the fresh crunch of the cucumber and the sweetness of the rice took him by surprise. A small pool of guilt swirled in his stomach- Mama had made him a homemade lunch. How dare he pick off of Yamamoto's lunch made by his widowed father?
Said boy's eyes widened seeing tears start to pool in wide brown eyes. He panicked, drawing out his milk carton and a napkin. Enma took it a step further, grasping the tearful brunette's hand in his.
"Is it too spicy, Tsuna?"
"Did I say something wrong, Tsuna-kun?"
The second year student sniffled, dabbing wet eyes with the napkin.
"I'm fine. I'm not sure what came over me for a minute, haha."
The other two stared at Tsuna, bemused, but shrugged it off. They would trust his word.
The second stage is hormonal change. Dragons will constantly shift in view point while trying to their host. It is important for said host to remember that this is a normal change that all must go through at some point. Individuals will find themselves crying at the most absurd of things, for example, or laugh at one of the most tragic things. This is the dragon trying to adapt to their though process.
"I can do this…" Tsuna murmured to himself, watching as another batter struck out. "I can do this…" With the ace of their team pitching and having fun while doing it, he had absolutely zero percent chance of winning, let alone connecting the bat with the ball. Somebody pat his back roughly causing him to stumble forward. Adjusting the cap placed on his head, the young brunette stepped up to the plate.
The ace looked unbearably serious on the in the center of the diamond while standing upon the mound. Dark brown eyes were shadowed by the cap covering the upper half of his face, but his mouth was pulled into a thin line. If Tsuna had to guess what the guy was thinking, it would be something along the lines of kill the twerp and win the game.
His legs trembled violently, and it hurt to breathe. The sound of his heart beating loudly filled his ears, drowning out the cheers and words of encouragement of the team. Wet hands clenched the wooden bat tightly, but with the trembling legs, it didn't help improve his performance. The first ball whizzed past him and straight into the umpire's mitt. Seeing the pitcher rearing up for the second pitch, Tsuna closed his eyes and swung the bat with little to no coordination. He was surprised to see the ball roll in a straight line towards the trees…to his left. It was a foul, but definitely better than a strike.
This time, his heartbeat decreased in volume allowing him to hear the screams of excitement from his classmates. Tsuna imagined them to be a crowd all roaring with excitement; stomping on the metal bleachers, cupping their mouth so their cheers could be heard. His hands loosened on the bat's handle. The pitcher wound back his arm and the ball of spinning white fury came directly at him.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The wooden bat swung down to hit the ball, but suddenly it started to swerve up. Brown eyes narrowed, and the boy took a step back, adjusting the bat to angle upwards with the ball's trajectory.
Ping
The crowd gaped watching the baseball fly high into the trees of the forest, and Tsuna pondered on whether or not it would be appropriate to scream his happiness like some people did in anime.
