Chapter Two – The Contracting Process
"Do you know how a contract works?" Reborn asked, examining a worn out children's book on Tsuna's bookshelf. Tsuna himself was scrubbing the chalk and blood out of his floorboards so the rug could be replaced. Reborn had suggested leaving it to the cleaning staff, but Tsuna shot him a look of utter disgust that made him back off instead of having a fight he couldn't bother to commit to.
Initiating and creating a contract tended to make him feel light headed and weak for the first few hours after. The crest on his ribcage was still burning, though Reborn felt nothing but smug about it.
"Considering that I've never made one, means that I've never been in theory class. You should know that." Tsuna rolled his eyes and had the distinct impression that Reborn was glaring at the back of his head. He had to stop himself from shuddering. Reborn was still incredibly frightening, but he was Tsuna's now and…wasn't that a strange thought?
"The relationship we have, Summoner to Demon, is that of a Master and his loyal Servant." Reborn pushed the book back into its rightful place, and moved to sit on the bed. Tsuna was still dutifully scrubbing away at the floor, both as an obligation and as a way to avoid eye contact with Reborn.
"Anything you order, I will carry out to the absolute best of my abilities. My existence on this plane is solely based on you and your commitment to this. I need the exchange of Aether to stay here permanently, and to keep contracted with you. This will happen automatically until at some point you manually cut the connection off at the source, or your Aether depletes to such a level, it would be detrimental to your health and you can't continue upholding your side of the contract."
Tsuna sat back from his knelt position, cloth clenched in his hand as he stared at the clean floor, absorbing Reborn's words quietly. Upon realising that Reborn wouldn't continue until he acknowledged him, Tsuna simply gave a jerky nod.
"If you focus now, you should be able to feel the contract. Each experience varies, but it should be there. What's it like for you?"
Tsuna's hand, unbidden, crept to rest on his side, nose wrinkling briefly in thought. "It…It's hard to explain. It's just. I know it's there. Like I can see it from the corner of my eye, or feel it humming under my skin, a heartbeat alongside my own." He grimaced at his own words, trying not to feel embarrassed and he sneaked a glance at Reborn to see how he had taken it.
There was an expression of utter victory on Reborn's face that disappeared almost as soon as Tsuna had seen it, making him wonder if he had imagined it or if it had been there in the first place.
"So, at least we know it didn't fail, as things ultimately do for you." Reborn callously mentioned and his mouth twisted into a smirk. Tsuna gave him a look of exasperation and the young human turned where he sat, cross legged, in order to face Reborn.
"Are you going to explain this contract business to me, or are you just going to make snide comments until the sun goes down?" For some reason, somehow, the fear of Reborn was less pronounced and Tsuna guessed it was because of the contract. He briefly considered whether or not he should be alarmed it was manipulating his feelings, but he decided that if a Summoner was afraid of his Demon, nothing would ever get done.
Reborn's smirk widened before he continued, "As my Summoner, you can call me wherever you are by the words of summon. You do know them, right?" He was rewarded with a foul look in return and couldn't help letting out a low chuckle.
"More powerful Summoners can call their demon or demons by thought. We can also choose to go to your side, if we feel you project powerful negative emotions, such as anger, pain, fear or hatred because something, potentially life threatening, has triggered them. Of course, if we don't like our Summoner, we could leave them to die, but…" Reborn shrugged. "We would rather be on this plane than the other seven. Normally, there is less fighting involved."
"The other planes?" Tsuna questioned, hands braced on his ankles as he leaned forward.
"Not been taught about that either, huh?" Reborn rolled his eyes. "Of course I get a Master who needs a crash course in Demon Lore and History. The first plane is where the most basic of Demons live, normally ones with no Flames that can be snapped up by any Summoner and require little to no Aether to sustain themselves. They're the little ones that Summoners use for odd jobs; cleaning, cooking. They get the simple sort of duties since they don't have the power for much more."
Tsuna pursed his lips and interrupted, "Do they get paid?"
Reborn couldn't help but give a sarcastic laugh. "What currency could we keep when we return to our plane? We're here simply to serve, for a chance at freedom and to do something interesting with our lives. You're my Master, I'm to serve you. That's how it works."
Tsuna bit his bottom lip, trying his best to, and failing, not to frown. "Do you get any sort of compensation? I mean, do Summoners let you do much with your free time?" He fidgeted as Reborn fixed a look at him, suddenly gazing at him as if he were in a new light.
"No," Reborn replied softly. "When we aren't required, we're expected to stay where ordered until needed or called again."
"Then why were you a teacher?" Tsuna was burning with curiosity and he knew he had to learn, to live with this contract and work with it, but he still wanted to know.
"Timoteo is kinder than most. He allowed me to teach and gave me other…duties. Anything else you want to know, Master?" Reborn almost stumbled to get the word out, wondering how he would get used to calling this slightly small, but powerful human Master when he was barely tall enough to make an impression.
Tsuna's eyes immediately widened and he felt his face twitch several times before it settled into a mix of a grimace and a frown. Standing up slowly, Tsuna made his way to the bed and sat on the end of the bed, giving Reborn space and also giving his backside reprieve from the hard, unforgiving floor.
"Reborn," Tsuna began slowly, face still held in an expression of near contempt which, Reborn was surprised to notice, wasn't aimed at him, but at Tsuna himself. The brunet continued, glancing up at him through lashes and bangs alike, "I don't expect you to call me Master. I'm still Tsuna or Tsunayoshi, whatever you're comfortable with. But I don't want you to call me Master if you don't have to. And if you like to teach, you can do that too."
Reborn stared for such a long time that Tsuna started to squirm; picking at the bandage that had been wrapped around his sliced palm shortly after the contract had been completed.
"What makes you say that?" Reborn's voice was uncharacteristically quiet and Tsuna moved his attention to a loose thread on his shirt sleeve, noticing the blood on the hem and trying to think of an appropriate answer.
"Because you're alive?" Tsuna questioned himself more than giving Reborn a reply. "You can feel like any other person on this planet. Just because you're not of this world, doesn't mean you should be treated like you're lesser than us. I wouldn't say we're equals – " Reborn's brow furrowed here, but Tsuna ploughed on, " – in fact, I think you're better than humans, agreeing to contract with such volatile people, who would use you in their own wars just for that taste of freedom, for that chance of something so simple that we take for granted and…and…" Tsuna trailed off, losing his steam and placed his hands flat on his knees. "You can call me Tsuna, and just treat me like you normally do; don't set me on a pedestal. You can still teach. And when you have free time, you can do whatever you want. It's not like you're a pet that needs my help to do things."
Tsuna pressed his lips together tightly, wishing he hadn't practically bared his soul in a few jumbled sentences to the scariest man-demon –apart from Colonello, who was just plain creepy and determined– he had ever met.
"You're one of a kind, Tsuna." Reborn reached out to vigorously ruffle Tsuna's hair, being given an angry yelp in return and Tsuna couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
It was on his walk to his last afternoon class before dinner, basic Rune and Circle Theory, that Tsuna remembered Reborn hadn't told him about the rest of the planes from which Demons came from. He filed that information in the back of his mind as he slid into his seat and firmly reminded himself that when he returned, and if Reborn wasn't busy, he should ask him to explain.
Of course, per the usual, he struggled to pay proper attention in class, but now his ignorance stemmed from the events of that day. It was hard to believe that just that morning he had been all but assaulted by Colonello, 'rescued' by Reborn in a roundabout way, and then made a contract with an Arcobaleno who, after essentially calling him weird, had completely thrashed him in not only Uno, but Go Fish and Crib.
Tsuna couldn't help but offer to play with him when Reborn expressed well hidden interest and curiosity at the stack of games Tsuna kept more out of sentimentality than for actual use, since he hadn't any close friends anyway.
He liked to think they still had a faint smell of home, same as the ragged clothes shoved into the back of his dresser, no longer worn for fear of further ruin.
Tsuna was veered away from his rapidly declining thoughts as the teacher's assistant demon abruptly snapped its tail on his desk and made him flinch, to which he immediately sat up and looked up from his desk, to pay more attention to the lesson.
"Did you hear what I said, Tsunayoshi, or do I need to repeat myself?" the teacher asked disapprovingly, offering the small demon, which had resumed its place on his shoulder, a small piece of raw meat.
Grimacing, Tsuna muttered quietly that he hadn't heard and ignored, as best as he could, the titters of those seated closest to him.
"Listen more closely next time. This could save your life. You aspiring Summoners may know how to draw your runes well, and you may very well know where they go and their names, but do you yet know what they mean?"
There was a general negative response across the room and Tsuna was exceedingly glad that attention had been taken away from him, however briefly. Their teacher, on the other hand, was staring out at his class with a look close to disgust. Or despair. From this distance, Tsuna couldn't tell.
"I honestly hope, for your sakes, that you know that the four main runes, to call them in their English names, are Offer, Binding, Protection and Null?" He placed his hands on his hips and seemed only slightly appeased at the nods.
"Offer, as the name implies, is the rune that carries your request across the planes. At your stage, the power, the Aether, that you hold will only take your offer to the first plane, where the most basic of Demons reside. Aniston here," the teacher reached up to rub underneath his demon's chin, "Is from the third plane.
"A demon may take you up on that offer and answer your summons. That is when he arrives in your circle. The Binding rune holds him there until you dismiss him, confining him to the plane by the power of your Aether until a contract is made or you are finished with him. The Protection and Null runes are the ones that will keep you alive. The Protection rune prevents your summon from leaving the protection of the circle, therefore the name. He cannot step over the line until it is broken and cannot break it himself. And finally, the Null rune stops any of their extra powers from being used to either manipulate you, or hurt you. Without the Null rune, even if they cannot cross the barrier of Protection, their Aether can, and will, be used against you."
Murmurs broke out in the classroom and Tsuna found himself listening with rapt attention. He was confused, rightfully so, at realising that if his Offer should only carry to the first plane, why did Colonello answer? He knew why Reborn had; using his personal summon rune allowed only him to be called. But Colonello? An Arcobaleno? His stomach churned uneasily and he glanced at the clock, hoping the class would soon come to an end so he could have some time alone to think.
He only realised he was projecting when he felt the prickle of his Aether against his skin, eager to be used and he had to push it back down, wondering when it became so excitable, so involved.
His life was suddenly becoming incredibly complicated and that wasn't a very comforting thought. Just when he thought life would get a little easier, a little more bearable with Reborn. The realisation was almost too much to bear.
Tsuna rushed out of the room as soon as they were dismissed, snatching the homework sheet from the desk as he passed by, frantically making his way to the door. He decided to not have dinner that evening because if he didn't get to his room right now he was going to have some sort of anxiety attack because Christ, a powerful dangerous demon was interested in him and he was contracted to one just as dangerous and…
A warm, solid hand landed on his shoulder and made Tsuna aware that he was trembling violently. Despite knowing it could only be one person (the contract buzzed pleasantly, with the other member close by) Tsuna flinched, resisting the urge to pull away.
"You called me, Tsuna?" Reborn asked, sounding as if he was annoyed, but he was clearly concerned about his Summoner's state. Tsuna shook his head, trying to stop his teeth from chattering. "I felt you panic, but it wasn't anything major…"
"I didn't summon you," Tsuna denied vehemently, somewhat relieved that he didn't stutter or bite through his tongue when he spoke. "I was just thinking about stuff and suddenly you're here. I-I didn't mean to call you." And damn, there was the stutter. He didn't know why he was so worked up, but he knew, deep down, it was a good reason.
Reborn had the gall to look impressed. "And obviously one of those thoughts was about me and was strong enough to tug me over. Good thing this corridor is empty because everyone is at dinner. Where are you going?"
"To my room. I-I need time to sit down and think and process some things somewhere quiet." An extended pause. "And could you finish your explanation of the other six planes?"
Reborn squeezed his shoulder and kept his hand there as he followed Tsuna to his room, keeping quiet for the sake of the human in front of him, who was still shaking so violently that it looked as if he would fall over if it were not for Reborn's hand keeping him upright.
When they were in the room, Reborn noted with slight trepidation as Tsuna made sure to lock the door and slide the extra chain across. He watched as the brunet took in a steadying breath and pressed his forehead to the wood.
Eventually, he asked, "Reborn. What am I?"
"A Japanese human male, approximately eighteen years of age, a height of five foot and five inches and a weight of…forty five kilos? Are you eating right?"
"That's not what I wanted, Reborn." Tsuna turned from the door to stare at the Demon, eyes almost ablaze with emotions. Reborn faltered for a moment, still proud of his choice of Summoner and strangely turned on by the ferocity Tsuna was facing him with, ferocity he hadn't felt or seen from any other of his previous Summoners.
"What do you want?" Reborn shot back, voice Tsuna took a step forward, he matched it, feeling the bond of contract thrum strongly between them. Tsuna's Aether was tugging at his crest, tugging at Reborn and he heeded the call, taking another step forward and then another until he was inches away. Tsuna had his back against the door and glared defiantly up at him, eyes still blazing, his Aether swirling orange and bright within them.
"Tell me, Tsuna." Reborn dragged his name out, bracing his arm above Tsuna's head and leaning further into the short human's personal space, close enough to feel Tsuna's angry puffs of breath fan against his face. "What do you want?"
There was a part of his fogged mind, the rational part, that told him he had stepped into the deep end with Tsuna. His Aether was eagerly grasping onto the power Tsuna offered and his body was reacting to it, the intensity of it, the feel of it which was the purest he had encountered in eons.
Tsuna's eyes were wide and he was clearly angry, but his pupils had dilated, leaving just a ring of orange, like an eclipse of the sun. Reborn nearly scoffed at himself because he was being almost poetic and it was stupid, but he didn't want to break the moment between them, the intimacy, the closeness.
Never in his life had someone offered this much to him when making the contract. Not even the sweet, young woman centuries ago, who he joined with the others as she preached and demanded the equal treatment of his kind, demon kind. Some nights, when he closed his eyes, he could still see her body swaying from the tree on which they hung her.
But all of that was pushed to the back of his mind in the presence of Tsuna, the small boy with the power of a supernova and his heart in the right place.
Reborn didn't even realise he wanted to kiss Tsuna until it was happening, the small mouth that had been twisted into a mocking snarl of impatience falling slack at the suddenness and shock of what was happening. Reborn leaned further onto his arm to get closer, his other hand lifting to cup around the back of Tsuna's neck, tangling in soft hair, but still he wanted more, he was getting greedy, needy and…
Reborn jerked back as if he had been electrocuted, but to be fair, Tsuna had just dug his teeth into Reborn's lower lip hard enough to draw blood, and the sharp slap of anger across the contract slammed into his chest as Tsuna drew himself up.
Lifting his hand, Tsuna wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist and levelled Reborn a look of such pure, utter fury that Reborn was close to just going for it again, consequences and chances of being bitten be damned.
"What the hell was that?" Tsuna spat out, taking a step forward out of sheer anger.
"It's called a kiss, I'm sure you're aware of that much," Reborn scoffed, licking his lip and feeling the groove Tsuna's teeth left. Even as he tasted the sharpness of his blood, that small groove quickly healed and the only traces left were the speckles of blood Tsuna had missed when he wiped his mouth.
"It's never going to happen again, that's what!" Tsuna snapped in return. He raked his hands through his hair and took a deep breath through his nose, tightly repressing the urge to kick or break something. He never thought a contract would be anything like this. He never wanted one in the first place anyway! If it weren't for his admirer, he wouldn't be in this mess.
Traipsing past Reborn without making eye contact, Tsuna threw himself onto the bed and buried his face into the pillow, trying to regain his composure and not do something childish.
He felt the bed dip further as Reborn sat on the edge of the mattress, but he refused to look up. When the silence had gotten to the point where it was almost too much, Reborn spoke.
"Do you still want to learn about the other planes?"
Tsuna almost, almost didn't dignify that with an answer, but then grunted with a slight twitch of his shoulder that could be interpreted in any way, really. Reborn took it as a yes.
"The second to seventh planes all represent a Flame type from which your Aether works from. These planes are interchangeable, no one of them is better than the others. Each is ruled by a corresponding Arcobaleno. I rule the Sun plane, and Colonello, who you've met, rules over the Rain plane. The other planes, Storm, Lightning, Cloud and Mist each have their own rulers. Hopefully, you'll never encounter them."
Tsuna eventually decided that Reborn at least deserved a somewhat active participant, so he rolled onto his back and sat up, purposefully kicking Reborn and pretending it was an accident, even though it clearly wasn't.
Reborn rewarded him with a slight smile as if he'd done something amusing, or good, and Tsuna felt himself get a little embarrassed. He barely managed to stop his mouth from turning up into a smile.
"So about these planes…" Tsuna eventually asked and Reborn rolled his eyes, interrupting, "I'm getting there. Do you even know the meaning of patience?"
The tension in the room promptly faded as the two eased back into a playful banter and Tsuna scoffed at Reborn as he replied, "Better than you, I'm sure. Just get on with it."
Amused, Reborn settled himself on the bed, ignoring Tsuna's squawk of indignation when he leaned against the wall and sprawled his legs over Tsuna's.
"No plane is better than the other, like I said, they're interchangeable. The first plane is the only exception, as I've explained to you. As for the other six, there is a very simple ranking system set in place for the demons that exist there. Think of it as a number system. Ten is the worst, weakest I should say, one is the very best. That's me by the way, until a 'two' gets confident and tries to replace me. There is only one top ranking demon for any plane. As for the other ranks, there are dozens of them, hordes of them."
Tsuna took that information carefully, face contemplative. "Ranks can change then?"
"Sure, once a demon has gained enough Aether. Consuming other demons," Reborn laughed at the horror-stricken look on Tsuna's face, "Or being summoned, and taking a portion of your Summoner's Aether helps the process. Of course, getting eaten means you aren't going anywhere. You're just slowly absorbed by them and when all your Aether is gone, you're dead."
Tsuna grimaced at the plethora of mental images that that tidbit of information brought up. He shifted his legs slightly, to get into a more comfortable position since Reborn clearly wasn't going to move any time soon.
"Are there any other questions?"
"Yeah." Tsuna hummed softly in thought, picking at his bandage and trying Reborn's patience as he took longer and longer to say something. Reborn eventually snarled quietly in frustration and took a hold of Tsuna's hand, letting his Aether flare appropriately and feeling Tsuna's spark in response. He channelled his power and healed the cut that was clearly annoying his Master. His Tsuna.
Tsuna reacted negatively at first, flinching back and glaring at Reborn with the right amount of wariness. However, it faded to confusion and finally realisation as he gently pulled his hand free of Reborn's when the demon's grip went slack.
Peeling back the bandages with care, Tsuna stared, almost in wonder, at the thin white scar on his hand. When he had examined it as closely as he wanted, he crumpled up the bandages and threw them at the bin in the corner. Of course, he missed spectacularly, to which Reborn snorted.
"So what was your question going to be?" Reborn asked, absently moving to rest his hand on Tsuna's ankle. It was an almost automatic movement that Tsuna didn't disagree with or try to stop, not even when Reborn's thumb edged under the hem of his trouser leg to rest against bare skin.
Contracts made everything so confusing, Tsuna couldn't help but think despairingly and sighed quietly, almost as if in defeat.
"I've been thinking about it and…what drew Colonello to me when I made my circle? At my age, the Aether is only starting to form in me and the circle was basic. Nothing beyond the first plane should have heard me." Tsuna worried his bottom lip between his teeth, thumb of one hand rubbing the new scar on the other.
"When a person completely overwhelms the circle with power, sheer power, it breaks the barrier the summoning circle offers and resonates across all planes. Colonello was the simply the first to answer. Anything could have come through. Unfortunately, it just happened to be him."
"But how did I-"
"Close your eyes."
"W-What?"
"Just do it."
Muttering about unreasonable and grumpy demons, Tsuna reluctantly closed his eyes.
"Now what?"
"I want you to concentrate on the sensation of our contract. Can you feel it?" After a few moments, Tsuna nodded, brow furrowed and Reborn continued, "Good. I want you to follow it and let it pull you inwards to the centre of your Aether."
Tsuna's face twisted almost comically in concentration and his hands fisted tightly in the hem of his shirt.
Reborn was going to ask if he was okay after a few minutes of no movement or action, but Tsuna suddenly gasped loudly, breathily and all but exploded with raw power. The Aether rolled over Reborn and almost choked him with its intensity. It crawled over his skin, picking at his clothes and sweeping through his hair. It was breathtaking.
Tsuna's Aether was cut short at the same time there was a crackle of separate, foreign power. It was familiar to Reborn in a way he couldn't yet respond to, still overwhelmed from what had just happened. The irrational thought of whisking Tsuna away, keeping him to himself, just the two of them until the end, swamped him.
When he felt the legs under his own give an aborted jerk, Tsuna obviously trying to get away, he opened his eyes while unable to remember closing them. He spotted someone just stepping into existence on the plane, obviously in response to his inner turmoil as a result of the unexpected assault from Tsuna's Aether.
Tsuna watched, horrified, as a stranger stepped into his bedroom out of thin air. A part of his mind was screaming 'demon' as if he couldn't see it for himself. He tried to stand, pulling at his legs. However, he was cruelly reminded, by the heavy, warm weight, across his legs that he was trapped.
His eyes snapped to Reborn, away from the emerging demon and to his only hope and was surprised when the normally calm and composed Arcobaleno swore viciously.
"Shit."
A second chapter, so soon! Hopefully I haven't gone too quick and hopefully I haven't overwhelmed you with information. Hope you'll enjoy it, and shoot me a PM if you're confused by anything, or want further information about this 'verse/AU because it interests you.
A HUGE big thanks to my new Beta, Pure Red Crane! Give her a round of applause folks, she made this chapter easier to read and picked out the silly mistakes I'm ashamed of making. If it's not perfect now, at least with her help it's the closest it can be!
