I need to confirm some stuff as in timeline, because I did not... even I would be confused 0.o Anyway, the past prologue start when Tsuna was ten years old in summer. He was in fifth grade BTW When present timeline when he was thirteen in mid of second term of school year. Natsu is first year and Tsuna is second year of Junior High School.
BTW I receive a couple of comment that you like Natsu, and it seems under impression this is an OC centric fic. NO, it's not OC centric and Tsuna & Guardians main star. The reason why in "present" part Natsu appeared a lot if not almost the main focus is because I want the plot to roll in the eyes of stranger who have not been in Namimori for years like Natsu to emphasize to many changes in Tsuna and co. This will only go for three chapters in presents and I will put more of Tsuna start from 4th chapter ^^
^^ Maybe you think this centers on Natsu because I make a guardian poll, that's just me too lazy to decide myself. So far I get Kokuyo boys, Lanchia,MM and who else?
Credits to my Beta Reader "Sailor Dying-Will" XD Thx for your help.
Anyway without further delay... the show is starting!
Past: Reunion with Blessed Shower of Tranquility
Tsuna had to admit the dreams were too vivid to be just dreams, and after each embarrassing dream (of him running around in boxers of all things) Tsuna developed a habit of waking up at quarter-to-six and running around the neighborhood so he could flush out the embarrassing memory. Tsuna found his first friend in Sasagawa Ryohei, the older boy was drawn to Tsuna because he was the only one who ran at such an early hour. Tsuna was happy to be Ryohei's friend, but kind of overwhelmed by the older boy's enthusiasm. Strangely even though Ryohei was an extreme version of his brash twin, Tsuna could relate to Ryohei easily as they were both older brothers. He would pass on Ryohei's offer to join his boxing club though.
"So Kyoko-chan still thinks that boxing is just two guys fighting in their underwear with oven mitts on, Ryohei-senpai?" Tsuna asked as he jogged a few feet away from Ryohei since the older boy was so loud Tsuna didn't dare get too close in fear he would go deaf. It was also because he didn't want Ryohei to hear his chuckles, Kyoko's description of boxing was very funny after all.
Ryohei sniffed sadly, "Yeah! I tried to explain to her many times! But she just laughs my explanations off, to the extreme!" he yelled, and Tsuna instinctively inched away.
Tsuna liked Kyoko, she was very cute and kind to him. He didn't think he liked her more than a friend though; he was too young for that. "I will try to talk to Kyoko-chan, I am sure she will understand then." Tsuna could sympathize with Ryohei since Natsuhiko also laughed at his hobby claiming reading poems was very nerdy, not to mention girly. If only Natsuhiko knew that most famous poets were men.
Tsuna was very confused when, on the way home from school, a popular boy known as Yamamoto Takeshi approached him with a beaming grin. Tsuna blanched at the familiar smile on Yamamoto Takeshi's face, this boy was one of his friends in those weird dreams. Tsuna had contemplated approaching the tall boy a few times but he was too shy, not to mention he felt stupid approaching someone because of a dream.
He didn't expect Yamamoto to hug him, grinning like a loon, until the shorter boy was almost in danger of suffocating. "Yo Tsuna! I am so thankful you saved me! You are the bestest friend I've ever have!" he exclaimed cheerfully.
Tsuna blinked. Did that mean what he thought that meant? "D-do you have strange dreams too, Y-yamamoto-san?" he stuttered in disbelief.
"Hey, don't be so formal with me!" Yamamomoto let him go, holding him at arm's length, "I'm your best bud, along with that Goku-guy! We play that mafia RPG together, remember?"
While Tsuna was happy Yamamoto thought of him in that way, he didn't want to gain a friend just because of a dream. "It's… just a dream. I've never done anything for you… none of what we dreamed of." he pointed out nervously.
Yamamoto's eyes narrowed at Tsuna. "Well…" he began, "While it may be a dream, I almost think it's real." the taller boy admitted and Tsuna fought back tears at the prospect of losing a friend he had always longed for. "It's also the best dream I ever had, Tsuna."
"But…"
"If I was about to jump to my death because of a broken arm," Yamamoto started, Tsuna's eyes went wide at the memory of the start of the friendship between him and Yamamoto in that dream. That was one of the best and also the scariest dreams he's had, because he recklessly tried to giveYamamoto advise he went and broke his arm and almost committed suicide. "Would you try to stop me like you did in that dream?"
"Of course!" Tsuna yelled angrily, all hesitation flew out of the window at the prospect of letting his friend jump to his death. "I would never let you die over a broken arm! Your life is precious. What, were you thinking I would…" Tsuna trailed off, anger dissipating, as he blushed deep red when he realized he was yelling at Yamamoto.
But before he could stutter an apology Yamamoto raised his hands in a placating manner, "Tsuna, in that dream I had… lots of people were watching me stand on the edge of the rooftop, about to throw my life away just like that." Yamamoto said sadly, his eyes glassy from unshed tears.
The baseball player sniffed, "It's scary, you know? Dreaming of myself about to jump off of a building. I thought I was going to die for real. My friends... my teammates and the other students were standing far away from me. I was yelling deep inside, begging for them to stop me. I couldn't stop myself… everything just played out like a drama in front of my very eyes."
Tsuna just stayed quiet; he didn't dare utter a word in fear Yamamoto would cry in that very moment. "They asked me to stop, pleading with me to change my mind but no one came to save me. They didn't come near in fear I would jump and then would blame themselves for my death… no one was brave enough to stop me…" Then he smiled at Tsuna, "But you… the boy everyone called a coward and Dame was brave enough to come near, even going as far as admitting you were the one at fault for giving that advice to me. You were honest of your lack of ambition and irresponsibility." Yamamoto had a slight blush on his cheeks, "You said what I wanted to hear the most, that it was stupid to kill myself over a broken bone that would heal."
Tsuna blushed a deeper red, "I-I ran away after that."
Yamamoto sighed at that, "Tsuna, you tried to run away after you got your point across, you were embarrassed of all the stuff you said after all, I could tell." Tsuna didn't trust himself to utter a word in fear he would stutter some lame excuse to deny it. Yamamoto's words were right on the dot anyway; he was very embarrassed in that dream. "Not to mention after that I almost got you killed too…" Yamamoto said apologetically, "And you saved me again! You saved me twice in that dream… first from myself." He jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb, "Then again from gravity…" He smiled sheepishly.
The brunette shook his head, "I was under the effect of that weird Dying Will Bullet." Tsuna blushed again, "You know… the one that made me run around in my boxers and yell about my dying will."
Yamamoto sighed again, "Tsuna… how long do you intend to deny your self worth? That time you yelled 'Save Yamamoto with my dying will'I heard it clearly even though I was almost plummeting to my death." Yamamoto said sternly, his dark eyes boring holes in Tsuna's. "That was what was in your mind when you were shot by that kid…" Yamamoto pointed at Tsuna, "You were in the same condition, and yet you were thinking of saving me and not yourself."
"I…" Tsuna had nothing to say to that.
Yamamoto smiled at Tsuna, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders. Tsuna had dreamed of this many times, of a friend that always made him feel secure just by staying by his side. Friends he treasured more than life itself, "You are a great guy Tsuna and I am a very lucky guy to have the honor to call myself your friend." A friend that never belittled him, one that looked at him as an equal. The friends he had in that dream always looked at him with admiration, affection and, hesitant in some of them, respect, for they saw him as someone who was worthy of their friendship.
"So… friends?" Yamamoto's tone was pleading as he put out his hand and Tsuna could tell he was more afraid than Tsuna to be denied of friendship.
Tsuna nodded shyly, then he accepted Yamamoto's offered hand and shook it firmly. "Let's start again Yamamoto…" Tsuna said, smiling at the taller boy, "I am Sawada Tsunayoshi, I like playing video games and reading poetry. You can call me Tsuna."
Takeshi grinned, "Yamamoto Takeshi, I like baseball and playing a Mafia RPG with my very best friends. Call me Takeshi, Tsuna!"
And with that the sky reunited with his rain, and rejoiced for the blessed shower that colored the sky with its tranquility.
Present: The guardian of Namimori Gakuen (part one)
For most of his life Natsuhiko remembered his brother as a dame but adorable and shy boy that would be more fitting as his younger brother instead of his older brother. Their elementary school days consisted of Tsuna being bullied and Natsuhiko coming to his rescue. In his mind Tsuna was kind, shy, naïve, a bully magnet, stupider than he was in math, and a scaredy cat.
However the teenager he saw now repainted everything he ever knew about his older twin.
Tsuna had grown, though not as tall as his twin with his smaller frame, and had skin that was lighter than Natsuhiko's tanned one. Natsuhiko had the sharp profile of his father though he still had some baby fat, and coloring he inherited from his mother. Natsuhiko was a fairly handsome young lad and he was quite a charmer in his own right. Tsuna was more reserved and shy in the past, and despite still having the soft features of Nana Tsuna's eyes were sharp with light golden orbs that really stood out despite wearing glasses, his hair was still spikier than his twin and he had jaw-length bangs framing either side of his face. In overall Tsuna was a very handsome, if not beautiful, young man.
Tsuna's soft golden eyes shone in mirth as he chided the prefect good-naturedly. "Give them a break Kyoya. One of them is a new student, we don't want to give a bad first impression, so please…?" Tsuna put a placating hand on Hibari's shoulder. "Besides, I am sure my otouto (little brother) has a right to insult his onii-san once in a while." He winked at Natsuhiko who was still in shock at the revelation.
"Oh…?" Hibari sounded amused to the point a smirk reached his lips, "This herbivore, one that is trying and failing to show fangs at a predator, is your brother?" Natsuhiko was sure that was an insult, and he noted to pay it back before the prefect graduated.
Tsuna sighed wearily, "Yes Kyoya. Now, you are scaring our kouhai so can you go back to your office? Tetsuya is looking for you, the last time I saw him."
"Hn…" Hibari snorted and he shot a last cruel smirk at Natsuhiko before walking past Tsuna with a curt nod. "See you around Kaichou, and warn your brother to not spout his annoying herbivore's mouth off in my presence."
"HEY!" Natsuhiko yelled indignantly at the retreating back of Hibari Kyouya, but no matter how much he shouted the older boy was already gone. Natsuhiko turned his attention to his brother, and noted he still had that charming smile he inherited from their mother on his face. From the corner of his eyes Natsuhiko saw his new friend hiding behind a tree, blushing furiously at the sight of Tsuna. He paid it no mind then smirked at Tsuna, "Hey! Long time, no see. I see you're not so dame anymore, those glasses of yours are totally nerdy though, Tsuna."
Tsuna chuckled softly, adjusting his glasses. "Well… two and half years apart is a long time, but you didn't change that much from what I see."
Natsuhiko huffed, "You are the one who changed too much." He pointed out, "So Kaichou, huh? Never thought I'd see the day my brother is the President of the Student Council." He smiled, "Father would be proud. He used to complain why you couldn't be a bit like me." Natsuhiko froze when he saw Tsuna's eyes narrow at him. He tried to look away but couldn't when those golden orbs pinned his brown eyes in place.
Tsuna gasped as he realized he was glaring at his twin. Shaking his head, Tsuna smiled to ease the tension. "I would love to talk longer Natsu, but I don't want the Vice President tearing down the school if I take too long to return to my class." Then he added before he turned his back, "Lets go home together today, if I am not at your class ten minutes after the bell, come to our office on the fifth floor. I am sure your friend knows where is it."
"Oh… kay." Natsuhiko was too tired to answer otherwise, and in the back of his mind he was aware that Tsuna had just given him the first order he could make as an older brother since they were born. Natsuhiko pushed that thought away because as far as he knew Tsuna never acted like an older brother to him.
Tsuna gave him another smile over his shoulder then rushed to get back to the school building, and after his brother disappeared from sight Natsuhiko pulled the blushing Mitsuru out from behind the tree. "Hey! Snap out of it!"
Mitsuru sputtered as Natsu let go of his hand, "I am sorry… I am just a bit too…"
"Entranced by my brother?" Natsu growled, "I have nothing against gays Mitsu, considering my background, but if you get any ideas about my brother, I will make sure your life is a living hell!" Despite the fact they never got along before, Natsu was still family and he was reasonably protective of his brother.
The shorter boy blanched but quickly recovered. "Hey, I'm straight! And, for your information, more than half of the school would blush in your brother's presence!" Natsu had to admit that might be the case, his brother, from what he saw just now, could charm almost everyone. "He is just so… so…"
Natsu sighed, "Pretty? Handsome? Yeah... he is really pretty to look at." Though Tsuna didn't look like their mother anymore, but strangely Natsu had a feeling he'd seen Tsuna's face somewhere in Italy. His face was eerily familiar. In Italy the Ninth almost had a heart attack when he saw Primo's portrait sneeze, but quickly brushed it off as him being delusional because of his old age.
PE was next and Natsu used the chance to skip the class when Enomoto-sensei wasn't looking, since he was new Natsu was sure the teacher wouldn't notice he didn't run laps with the rest of the boys in his class. It was very easy to find Reborn in the backyard of the school or rather the hitman found him and kicked him in the face again. Stupid Reborn, did he want to scar the face of his future boss?
"So Reborn… Does my father have any idea that my brother is not so dame anymore?" he asked, leaning against the wall lazily.
The chibi hitman was sitting on Leon, who had morphed into an armchair, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. "I doubt it… your father forbid any contact with Vongola in regards to your brother and mother." A pause, "Just keep it a secret from your father, let him find out for himself. From what I see, your brother is not particularly fond of Iemitsu."
Natsu sighed at that, "Well… Tsuna doesn't know about the Family business so of course, to him, father looks like a bastard who left his family for work."
Reborn rolled his eyes. "That idiot Iemitsu didn't give an appropriate excuse either. Tell me… would you have a good opinion of your father if you were told that he didn't come back home for months then years because he was working traffic at construction sites?"
"Err…"
"Lal told me your stupid father's latest letter to your mother included a photo of the South Pole, complete with penguins and an igloo." Reborn shook his head, "That's… too idiotic to the point it might be on par with Tomaso."
Natsu shuddered at the name, "Don't say it!" Then he chanted, "That never happened, Natsu! No pinwheel and creepy gothic girl or punk with crappy taste in girls! That's just… a figment of your imagination." he chanted again and again.
The arcobaleno suppressed an urge to kill his student, this boy was too alike with Iemitsu to the point he suspected the boy was actually cloned from the man. In his mind he was also chanting, The heir is important. Don't kill the heir. Remember Reborn, Nonno is counting on you.
Saying Namimori gakuen was quite a big school would be an understatement, it was a prestigious private school located in the heart of Namimori town and was easily the largest building complex in the city. Namimori Gakuen also housed four different school levels; Kindergarden, Elementary School, Middle School, and High School. College/University was in progress of construction. Although these four schools were on the same grounds, the students mostly remained in their own grade level, although they were free to move from building to building on the campus.
Tsuna thought the very reason students didn't roam free outside their respective grade had something to do with their school size and its maze like structure. It was not the school, per se, that was built like a maze but the sheer size was enough to make people get lost easily. Tsuna still remembered last years incident where he had to arrange a search party because one of their students got lost in school and couldn't find his way back until he was found the next morning, it would be a scandal if the said student was from the Elementary or Kindergarten Division, which should be under teacher's supervision for most of the time. The student however was from the High School Division, he had got lost when chasing a homerun Yamamoto Takeshi hit to the forest. Tsuna knew the Student Council members were something like a kind of celebrity in their school, but he never thought someone would get themselves in trouble for something as petty as Yamamoto's homerun ball. Avid baseball fans or not, Tsuna would rather be ignorant of the fact that Yamamoto had fanboys, and so does the rest of the student council.
Not long after that incident Tsuna found out that each of them had a fan club, with his being the largest in number. It was an illegal club since its activity was stalking and sending them presents, but on the other hand he couldn't just dismiss them coldheartedly. In the end, after a long meeting a committee was formed to organize these fanclubs and keep them in line. He had no choice since sooner or later his shoe locker would explode with love letters and his desk buried under presents. Hibari was not happy his committee had to keep rabid herbivores in line.
The Fanclub Diciplinary Committee's rules were as follows:
-Stalking SC members is a serious offense; the offender would be expelled from Namimori Gakuen.
-Gifts could only be given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, and Valentine's day. The Committee will organize a 'give present' event, giving the present outside of said event is prohibited. All gifts also have to pass screening before it reaches any SC member.
-No stealing the property of any SC member, the same rule applies to any school property they use or have used. Those caught stealing would be expelled.
-Crowding in groups before school started for morning greeting is allowed as long as at least one squad of the FDC is present. Don't block their way and stand behind the line the FDC draws, and at least six feet away from the SC's path. (Hibari Kyouya really disapproved of this rule.)
It would be nice to not have all of this attention, which meant less blood in Kyoya's path, but Tsuna had to uphold the school's motto. Imonoyama held the democracy of youth in high regards, a little too high to his liking actually. He was never comfortable with the idea of owning the school by proxy.
He was just called by Imonoyama Reika, the headmaster of both Clamp and Namimori Gakuen. The Namimori Gakuen's headmaster's office didn't house said headmaster though, only a giant screen that broadcasted from Clamp Gakuen's office. Tsuna sat down with a sigh as the headmaster greeted him on screen. The woman was in a fuchsia kimono and half of her face was hidden behind bamboo blinds, a fan in her nimble fingers.
"Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun. I heard your brother has just transferred to our school." she said cordially, "It must be a very happy occasion, this brother's reunion."
"Yes." Tsuna answered curtly. He had learned that when it comes to dealing with Imonoyama being honest and straightforward without pleasantries was the best way. "It is… " A pause, "As promised I will do everything to keep this school as it is from whatever my brother's presence brings upon this school."
The headmaster smiled, "Oh yes… your brother's tutor has started making some…" She trailed off, "personal hideouts all over our school…" She laughed as she unfolded her fan flamboyantly, "So adorable and amusing, this arcobaleno."
Her nerve for calling Reborn adorable made Tsuna take note to himself to never let the headmaster and Reborn meet face to face. "Headmaster… please stay out of our affairs." he said sternly, "I am well aware of some of…" Tsuna trailed off, "Imonoyama's connections but it would be best if you let me and the Namimori student council deal with it."
She faked a bashful laugh, "Of course… our school motto is democracy of youth, why should I interfere Tsunayoshi-kun?"
Tsuna rolled his eyes mentally because it would be rude to do it openly, "For the same reason the Imonoyama family took over Namimori Gakuen's ownership." He pointed out blandly. "Pardon me, but the Imonoyamas are never one that could keep their hands off of anything they find interesting and amusing."
While such a blunt statement would insult most people Imonoyama Reika just smiled as amusement painted her face, then again the Imonoyamas were not most people. "Don't worry Tsunayoshi-kun, we will keep our hands by our side as long as we get first row seats."
The Council President sighed, "The first row seats are dangerous…" he stated bluntly.
"Ho ho ho ho…" The screen became blank as the connection was cut off at the other end, which concluded his short meeting with the headmaster.
Tsuna's eyes narrowed at the blank screen, his golden eyes lost their luster as his fist clenched tightly in effort to control his emotions. "Get a grip Tsuna, you will not lose it here… this is just the beginning." Tsuna told himself as he took off his glasses revealing a brighter sheen of gold in his eyes.
Afternoon class, unfortunately in their teacher's eyes and fortunately to the student's, was a self-study period because their English teacher suddenly had to be rushed to the hospital because of a light concussion when he was walking past the baseball field on the way to his class. The rumor said it involves one of the student council members, who was also the baseball star of their school, Yamamoto Takeshi.
In Natsuhiko's opinion Yamamoto Takeshi was a very normal name for a Japanese boy, though his exploits in baseball was anything but normal. The baseball player, according to Mitsuru, was not directly responsible for poor old Watari-sensei's injury. A baseball flew like a bullet and embedded itself in the wire mesh fence, the force enough to bend the fence like an insect caught on a net. And Watari-sensei fell backward to the ground on his own, courtesy of shock and old age catching up with him because he was just one foot away from the fence when that happened.
Self study was apparently turned into another break period where all the students were doing anything they wanted including chatting, reading magazines or doodling. Natsuhiko chose to spend it laying on lush green grass under a big sakura tree in Namimori Gakuen's garden. He escaped from class because he disliked how most of his classmates were staring at him curiously, undoubtedly because his surname was Sawada. It was really sucky and it irritated him to no end, especially because Spanner was missing since PE. He was really curious about the boy especially if he was one of the potential guardians Reborn had called beforehand from Italy. He was also curious about that Yamamoto Takeshi and the rest of the student council members.
Flashback
"No one to blame actually." Mitsuru said with a slight grin, they were talking about the headline news of the day. "It's a well known fact to never ever walk around the baseball field if you have a weak heart and Yamamoto-senpai is the one playing."
The boss-in-training's lips curved up into a forced grin, "I know this school is full of geniuses in various fields." he said with a frown, "But this Yamamoto-senpai sounds like a pro." 'And not normal, even by genius standards.' he added mentally.
Mitsuru nodded, "He is. I heard some professional baseball teams have approached him." A pause, "By the way, while this school is better than most public schools, we are not all geniuses like you think." he explained wryly, doodling randomly in his notebook. "That's Clamp School. All the students there, at least, wins a province scale competition. Being a branch of school like Clamp School did wonders to our reputation."
"I see…" Natsuhiko had to blink a few times at that statement, Mitsuru was surprisingly observant for a middle school student.
End of Flashback
"Ciaossu."
Natsuhiko's eyes bulged in shock when he found his tutor was sitting right beside him, and once again a kick landed on his face. For some reason Reborn's feet had taken a liking to his face, much to Natsuhiko's ire. "What's with you Reborn? You want to scar my face for life?"
The tiny shoulder shrugged nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I am sure your face is as thick as your father's." He folded his tiny arms, looking down haughtily at the brunette. "I will keep hitting you until you can dodge it, sad you didn't get that from your father. That elusiveness of his…"
"For once Reborn…" Natsu began tiredly, "Can you stop relating all of my lack to my father and vice versa?"
Reborn even didn't dignify that with a response, instead he greeted someone, "Ciaossu." This someone had undoubtedly snuck behind him, Natsu was too tired to be shocked and he wondered why so many people could just waltz into his personal space today.
"Konnichi-wa…" That jolted Natsu out from his thoughts, as he turned around to find Tsuna once again near for who knows how long. "Hello there…"
Tsuna, deep inside, was very nervous to greet Reborn in person, he reminded himself that Reborn was not his tutor but Natsu's. He had contemplated how to behave around Reborn, because he surely couldn't act like the Vongola Decimo-in-training his alternate self was. There was a split second of silence as their eyes met, Reborn was assessing Tsuna, wondering if his student's older twin was a threat or a possible ally for Natsu. Tsuna on the other hand came to a decision; he silently thanked a certain baseball player and hoped it would work.
He kept his lens covered eyes on Reborn and noticed from the corner of his eyes that Natsu was watching them with mixed emotions on his face but mostly horror. "Your friend Natsu?" Tsuna was cackling mentally at the look of horror on his twin's face. "I am Sawada Tsunayoshi." Tsuna introduced himself softly, his eyes looking straight at Reborn. Something he learned from his alternate self's painful tutoring under Reborn, the hitman respected people who looked at him straight in the eyes and didn't cower under his gaze. "Nice to meet you."
Reborn nodded, "Nice to meet you too." He was smirking mentally, and he thought this boy was something. "I am Reborn. Natsu's tutor… and hitman of the Vongola Family." he replied tonelessly. There was a phantom pain aching his heart, but Tsuna ignored it. His Reborn, who taught him about resolve and determination, was not this Reborn, and he was not Vongola Decimo.
"I am definitely not a friend of Natsu's." It was said emotionlessly but Tsuna could tell Reborn was insulted or at least displeased by what Tsuna said.
Reborn, that's my brother you are talking to! Natsu cried in horror mentally.
Tsuna smiled apologetically, "Ha ha ha…" He bowed to Reborn, "My apologies then…" He never knew he was quite good at pulling a Takeshi and could fool Reborn of all people. Thankfully Takeshi wouldn't sue him for plagiarism, "It must be hard." He could be a little original here, "To be a hitman at such a young age." If anyone who knew about the arcobaleno curse heard it, Tsuna was sure they would roll on the ground with laughter for its double meaning. Reborn was an old man in a baby's body after all.
"Not really…" Reborn answered, his expression was unreadable. "Are you interested in joining our Family?" The chibi hitman asked, and Tsuna froze for a split second but quickly recovered and pasted an amused look on his face.
"Reborn! Cut it out!" Natsu cried, he looked like he wanted to throttle Reborn but unfortunately that was not possible. "We promised to not involve my brother in this! Don't spill like a broken dam!"
Tsuna rolled his eyes mentally; his brother was never that good in keeping secrets. If you want to keep a secret never say you have a secret. Talking about the pot calling the kettle black, but in Reborn's case he spilled secrets when he wanted to and when he wanted to keep it, milking water from a rock was easier than getting Reborn to spill. Natsu was about to open his mouth again and Tsuna decided to come to his rescue, because he wanted to have his brother's head stay on his shoulders.
"Now, now, Natsu." Tsuna chided good naturedly, "He is a baby." This statement wouldn't offend Reborn because that was a fact, at least physically.
"Bu-but that…" Natsu stuttered.
'Hayato would freak out if he heard this.' Tsuna thought gleefully. "Don't spoil the game Natsu, you played at pretending to be super heroes and cops when we were this age, right?" He paused, pretending to be deep in thought though actually he was enjoying the incredulous look on Natsu's face. Reborn's face was as expressionless as ever, though there was a slight hint of disbelief in that left eyebrow of his, it having rose by two millimeters. This was dangerous; he thought mischievously, he could get hooked in pulling a Takeshi in front of Reborn and Natsu whenever mafia related topics came up.
Tsuna decided to raise the ante up by hoisting Reborn up to his right shoulder, he was cheering loudly in his mind when Reborn did nothing whatsoever to resist. If anything Reborn allowed him to do it graciously, and the look of irritation on Natsu's face was undoubtedly because his twin knew if Natsu was in Tsuna's shoes he would have more holes in his body than emmental cheese. But the chibi hitman allowed Tsuna not only to touch but lift him up like a kid.
"Natsu is the future Tenth boss of Vongola." One of many things he was thankful for, Tsuna admitted silently.
Tsuna smiled softly, "That's amazing, you will be a great boss Natsu." He meant that one with all his heart though he preferred his twin had nothing to do with the mafia at all. But it seemed Natsu voluntarily joined the mafia like their father so there was nothing Tsuna could do to stop him.
"So, will you join our family?" Reborn asked with all the childish innocence he could muster, and Tsuna almost swore the chibi sounded a little hopeful. Reborn really hoped Tsuna would say yes, even if he thought this was just a game. He had watched the boy since his short reunion with Natsu and Reborn was impressed, even if Tsuna was not chosen as candidate he had charisma and commanded respect from his peers at such a young age. He had seen students looking at Tsuna with awe and respect, instinctively parted like the red sea when they crowded in front of him. Even teachers were smitten by Tsuna, as they heeded his every word when asked for advice. Reborn was sure Tsuna would be a splendid right hand man, and undoubtedly loyal to Natsu. What a pity Iemitsu overlooked someone like his oldest son, and Tsuna's choice of student council members was undoubtedly approved even by Reborn's standards. There were interesting people Reborn would look for later.
Tsuna wondered how Reborn could fake his childishness but be serious at the same time. His throat felt dry as he tried to sound normal, and he said. "Well… it sounds fun." He would never dream of calling joining the mafia as fun, he dismissed the figment of imagination that was Reborn's eyes lighting up at the prospect he might say yes. "But… I am busy with the student council, I will have no time for this mafia game."
"Oh." Tsuna almost feared for his life when he heard Reborn's voice turn cold.
"Don't be sad Reborn-san, I am sure you can find someone else to join the family." Preferably not him or any of the student council members. "Here." He handed him two brown candies Natsu recognized as the same Kyoko and Haru gave Reborn this morning, "Have this with my apology."
Reborn once again, surprisingly, accepted the sweets and popped both of them into his mouth, making crunching sound as he chewed. Tsuna feared Reborn was angry, and was imagining chewing Tsuna's head instead of the candies. Tsuna almost regretted letting the hitman sit on his shoulder but it was too late and too good a chance to pass up. So he turned to Natsu, to avoid Reborn's eyes. "Natsu, I heard about what happened to Watari-sensei, still, you shouldn't be outside like this. you'd be in big trouble if Kyoya catches you here."
"And I am not in trouble now since our esteemed Kaichou caught me skipping class?" He shot back.
Tsuna laughed softly at that, "No, I am not going to hand you to the Discipline Committee for skipping a self study class…"
"And because you are also skipping class?" Natsu asked sarcastically, "I wonder if that Hibari Kyoya would give you a detention, even though-"
The older twin crossed his arms, "Natsu… you seem to be in a very bad mood. Care to share?" Natsu was caught off guard. Tsuna, of all people, was trying to lend an ear to him?
"Oh yeah… " Natsu snorted, "Kaichou has to listen to other student's problems."
Tsuna raised an eyebrow but smiled as he corrected the statement, "No, your onii-san wants to listen to what troubles you." Natsu blinked at that, this new Tsuna, who acted all brotherly to him, was making him felt uneasy but touched at the same time. "I never acted much like an older brother to you Natsu, you never needed me when we were young."
"You weren't a reliable brother." Natsu said without thinking twice then quickly slapped his mouth in horror. "I-I mean."
Tsuna's smiling face was firmly in place, and Natsu had to wonder if this new Tsuna was still his brother at all. His old dame brother would have sputtered and muttered an apology for being useless. "I wasn't?" That was not a question, "Does this mean you think I might be a reliable brother now? Is it because of my position in this school?" he asked sincerely.
"It's…" Natsu muttered softly, "Because I don't know you at all… not anymore." he whispered so softly he was sure that only he could hear it, though how Tsuna's eyes locked onto his, Tsuna and Reborn heard him just fine. He sighed wearily, "Please, just drop it okay?"
"Natsu…" There was something in Tsuna's deep voice that nailed him in his place, and it irritated Natsu because… "I will not pry but keeping it to yourself will not help you." Reborn at this point hopped off of Tsuna's shoulder and landed softly on the grass patch, and locked his eyes on Tsuna's as if the older twin was an unsolved puzzle.
"Just let me have my space and maybe… " Maybe. "I will tell you. But right now I can't."
How could he tell Tsuna why he was depressed? Tsuna never felt the pressure of being the candidate of Vongola Boss, nor did he know how it felt to live under the shadow of the Vongola's Young Lion, their father, who in the mafia world was a great man and as his son he was expected to be as good as Iemitsu.
It irritated him to no end Reborn kept reminding him about how alike he was with Iemitsu and yet his father was still so far away. Even after two years of training he still couldn't activate his Flame at will and to reach Dying-Will Mode he had to rely on the DW Bullet. Hyper Dying-Will Mode was, of course, another milestone that was still so far away. He always thought he could do anything, that what his father was capable of he would be able to one day do but his slow progress irritated him. And then he was sent to Japan, he was afraid Vongola had thrown him away. Reborn's presence was the only solace that kept him believing Vongola still wanted him. He would never admit it but he was jealous Tsuna was doing so well in life even though he was a failure when they were young. His brother was unaware of the dark secret of their family and forever would be. While he had to be crushed under the burden.
His thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched voice singing a song that for some reason ruined his mood even more.
Midori tanabiku
Namimori nooooo~
Both Reborn and Natsu looked at a ball of yellow feather that had descended from the tree right above them. Natsu was not sure that was a bird, though, because of its disproportioned body with wings that were too small for its round body. The little yellow bird had perched on Tsuna's shoulder then finished the rest of the song.
Dai naku shou naku nami ga ii!
It flapped its wings a few times then chirped restlessly, "Kaichou! Kaichou!"
Tsuna grinned as he lifted his hand and the bird hopped to his finger, "What is it Hibird? A report?"
"Report! Report!" Its head bobbed up and down cutely. "Office! Office!"
Tsuna smiled sheepishly, "I guess that's my cue to leave." he said, "I will see you after school Natsu."
The younger twin was still staring at Hibird as if it was some sort of alien. "Okay, but what is that?"
The Kaichou blinked at the question, "Our school's mascot." he answered as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well…" Tsuna trailed off, "The Student Council's mascot to be exact."
"That's why it's singing our school's anthem?" he asked curiously.
The older twin laughed softly, "It fits right? But actually Hibird learned it by himself, this little guy always wants to impress Kyoya." Tsuna said as he patted the bird gently with his forefinger.
"Hibari! Hibari!" It chirped happily.
That was… surprising. Someone as vicious as that bastard prefect has a soft spot for a fluffy bird? Natsuhiko thought. The bird was quite peculiar, it wore a red headband with kanji for discipline and a choker with the Namimori crest on it.
Reborn looked at the bird with a disinterested face but deep down he was thinking about the abnormality he found since he stepped into Namimori gakuen. "How many birds do you keep in this school?" he asked casually.
Tsuna blinked at Reborn, "Ah, you noticed? There was a flock nesting all over the forest near this school."
Reborn had his gun ready at his side; the hitman clicked his tongue as his fedora shadowed his face. "I see…"
"This little guy is a very precious friend of ours." Tsuna said, well aware why Reborn was hiding his expression. But he paid no mind, he was prepared to leak some of their little secrets to hide the bigger ones.
The older twin smiled genially but the hitman didn't buy it. Reborn decided that whatever Idiot-Natsuhiko did in the future he absolutely must not make an enemy out of his older twin. Call it the hunch of a hitman or whatever you want, but Reborn could tell, just from a glance, what kind of person you should be wary of, respect, and/or fear. Much to his displeasure Sawada Tsunayoshi was those three, there was a hidden depth within him. A depth he thought his student shouldn't dive into.
"See you after school, otouto, Reborn…" Tsuna bid them, "Lead the way Hibird." The yellow bird hopped off of Tsuna's finger then flew away with Tsuna in tow.
Reborn gritted his teeth as he watched the retreating back of Sawada Tsunayoshi, Iemitsu, you idiot! You have no idea what you have overlooked.
Review Please!
There you go! Hope you like this chapter as much as the last one... ^^ And one more thing, there is a possibility one chapter would consist only of past or present, depend on which I deemed more important. The fourth chapter in my plan probably consist of past alone~
There will be no pairing for now and definitely not SLASH! I will not write Tsuna cutely either, that's for Hibird and girls ;3
Ciao minna~
