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Soul Binding Deal
Chapter 1: Commencing Deal
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"So you figure it now?" Reborn smirked finding it amusing how a high demon like Sloth would be easily captured with a deal. He was under the expression that demons would be cleverer and more deceptive than this. "It's rather disappointing and hilarious that it took you this long to figure out my aura."
"Too much trouble to care," came the immediate deadpanned from the demon.
The hunter glanced at him in the corner of his black eyes. Sloth was in a form of a young innocent teenager. It made him think of possible situations where this brunet would ripe that innocent and would attack his victims, without them even doubting the boy.
"Aren't you bothered that you're trap by a hunter?" he asked, noting that the demon was relaxing now that it was confirmed that he was a hunter. For one thing, it annoyed him greatly that this creature dismissed him like he was no threat. "I can attack you while you can't."
Sloth yawned, "I am bothered by it. No doubt, the other demons will laugh at me when I get back to Hell but anyway, you wouldn't attack since that will waste your effort in making a deal with me. Also, this isn't the first time I was captured by humans though I was never caught by hunters before."
The black-haired man twitched at that. He didn't think the other was smart to know that he really needed Sloth for something though the other statement made him pause. So the demon was already captured before?
Reborn wanted to mock at how one of the Seven Deadly Sins was not that powerful if he was able to be captured easily.
"If you're thinking how I'm not powerful then yeah, you're right about that," Sloth didn't even deny it since he was the youngest Sin. It irritated him but it was a fact. "Sad to say, I'm practically the only Sin who was not known for his power."
"Oh?" the hunter raised an eyebrow, interested at the topic. "Then, what are you famous of?"
"Running," again with the deadpanned answer, came from the brunet.
It was again the real truth. Sloth was neither power pack nor sly deception like the other Sins. He was more powerful than humans and other demons but he was weakest against the other Sins and his Lord. If there's one thing he was good at, it was his speed. No one, not even the Lord of Hell, could win against his agility.
It was not what you would expect from the Sin of Sloth for they were known to slow and lazy but technically, Tsuna was not supposed to be the Sin of Sloth. His friends were also not the real candidate for the other sins. They just were.
Sloth shook his head at his thoughts and glanced at the mortal, who was looking at him as if he was insane. It was kind of the truth since he was a devil, after all. The first thing they turned away to be a devil was their sanity or morality.
"You're a devil and yet, you run like a coward?" Reborn asked in disbelief. He had known that against all the other Sins, Sloth was far by the most complicated and weird but he never it was this unusual. "How can you even be proud of that?"
"It's better than be captured," Sloth shrugged casually and let out another yawn. "Fighting is too much effort. I'd rather run away than be bothered into a fight. No one can beat me with speed, after all. I'm neither the Sin of Pride nor Wrath so I don't really bother with those troublesome things."
The raven head never averted his eyes from the Sin. What this devil was saying seemed to be a bluff but there was no particular movement, which made him think that Sloth was lying. It was really just the plain truth.
"Well, aren't you a talkative one?" now, this was one thing that confused Reborn. Devils were not known to be this willing to speak up. Usually, hunters broke them to the point that they talk.
Tsunayoshi, not that the mortal knew his real name, smirked slightly, "Who's to say that I'm not buying time for me to escape?"
"You can't leave," dark sharp eyes narrowed when the smirk didn't disappear. "You made a contact to me that you'll stay here."
"Not true," seconds later as those words came out from the devil, Sloth quickly dashed towards the door for his escape. There was one loophole to the contact that allowed him to escape but when he had tried to simply transport back to Hell, there was a barrier around the hunter's house, which prevented him from leaving so it left him trying to find the exit of the house or mansion.
Outside was a good start to go if he wanted to go home.
He had to praise the human. The plan was almost foolproof. The house was sealed with wards to keep devils in and there was something that weakened a devil's power as well. They would just have to create the perfect deal with no loopholes and they would capture the devil they wanted.
Fortunately for Tsuna, he was known to find loopholes in any deal, even the most perfect ones.
The contact they made stated that Reborn wanted him to use his Sin to make the human sleep peacefully at night and stay with the human as he slept. It didn't mention about Sloth staying when the human was awake.
Pair of honey-brown orbs paid attention to his surroundings and they paused when they landed on a seemingly normal door. 'This energy...,' he thought in realization, his eyes turning hinted orange. 'Why am I sensing many weak demons in here?'
'Don't tell me the hunters have been able to successfully capture other demons other than me?' his thoughts alarmed him greatly than his situation. 'I can understand why humans can capture me but other demons? It should be impossible but that kind of explains why there was a massive decease of demons...'
'Surely, My Lord will not like that, especially with the affairs in Hell,' Tsuna finished his mussing and with a nod, he changed direction. 'I can't check on it to make sure it's true because I'm out of time. I'll just have to report to My Lord when I get back...'
Sloth quickly ran towards the place which was filled with the scent of nature. It could mean it was the outside. Even if it wasn't, it was still better than being stuck in his current location where the scent around him caused a horrible stench. Humans smelt the worst in his opinion...except for that Reborn.
The devil was not going to deny it. That hunter had the reek of blood and sex but that was it. He couldn't smell anything else from the man. That was another trait that made the mortal delicious in Sloth's appetite.
He was surely going to regret not being able to have a taste of that soul if he had gotten back to Hell.
"Chaos shot!" a loud voice surprised him and his intuition had immediately warned him about the bullet coming to him. It warned him again how the bullet could still hit him so he dodged again, more than once thankful at his intuition.
Tsuna stared blankly at the same hunter who captured him. It was humiliating to admit but without his high intuition and speed, he wouldn't be able to dodge the bullet. It didn't stop at the first he avoided it. It just got deflected and then bounced back to him again and again. Chaos shot indeed.
"So you dodge my shot," Reborn muttered, more to himself than the other. "Guess you are still a powerful demon, despite your uncaring attitude about strength. The other demons I faced and had to capture always got hit."
That confirmed the Sin of Sloth about hunters capturing demons but why now? They had been inactive for such a long time so why were they now taking actions?
"I told you, I'm might not be powerful but I'm fast. But that's beside the point—" the creature from Hell glared at the hunter, wanting information to give to his Lord. "—what the hell are you talking about facing and capturing other demons?"
'Why are you guys attacking now?'
"What about them?" the fedora male smirked mockingly as if he didn't know the real question when he surely did. Sloth gritted his lips in annoyance. "Aren't I just doing my job?"
"Tch," demons were not known for their patience so Tsunayoshi was no different. He barred his fangs and dashed away again...or tried to.
Silver chains, all around his body, tightened their hold on his body and looking at the end, the chains were being carried by Reborn. It made the Sin heat up in anger. This mere mortal dare to...?!
"What did you do to me?!" he growled in fury and caused the temperature to rise, causing the hunter to feel something amiss. Sloth was never known for anger. Frustration? Yes. But anger? Never. Anger was in Wrath's domain.
"I bound you to my will. If you try to escape again, then the chains will tighten, almost to suffocate you until you give up trying to escape," the hunter answered in caution, watching the demon carefully to see if it would attack. "I didn't think you might find loophole in my deal but I was prepared if you did find a loophole."
Tsuna frowned, not liking this one bit. If there was one thing demons hated, it was their freedom being taken. They were free-spirited creatures and only had five main rules to follow. They were allowed to do what they wanted though weaker demons could only roam in Hell unless they were summoned.
However, the brunet made himself calm. It would do no good if he were to grow angry. Many might have notice his lack of control over his anger and it would cause problems to not just himself but his friends and his Lord as well.
"You really are prepared to capture me," Sloth managed to say to the mortal and he was unwilling impressed. "And I thought all hunters were idiots."
It was a truth again. All the hunters he had encountered before were so stupid he wanted to cry. Decades ago, he encountered hunters, who foolishly thought that they could harm him when they had seen him devouring the souls of children. They had thought that he was weaker than most demons because he looked innocent.
They clearly had no sense of awareness. The more human a demon, the more powerful they were.
Reborn let out a cocky smirk, "Then, you're the unlucky one to meet those hunters, who just become hunters to earn money and fame. I'm far different in level than them. I become a hunter for the thrill of hunting demons. I work for the fight and make myself stronger than other people."
The black hunter didn't think the other would understand. The other was after all a demon. They wouldn't know the feeling of a human but then, Sloth was again no ordinary demon.
The carrier of the Sin Sloth widened his humanoid eyes and gave something akin to nostalgic.
Did he just imagine it?
"I see," Tsuna cursed his stupidity at almost showing his surprise at the mortal's words. It just had been a while since he had known a person with a passion for fighting. "I take it you're not alone."
He needed to move to a new topic, a more informative topic.
"That's right. I'm not," the raven head nodded but then smirked again. Sloth was seriously getting tired of his smirks. "But I'm not obligated to answer. I know what you're doing. You're going to get more information since you're trap, right?"
The devil made no noise of disagreement or acceptance.
"Anyway, come on," Reborn tugged the chains, which made Sloth frowned. "I'm showing you to your room."
'Don't you mean cage?!' the demon wanted to snap really but he was tired. He just let himself be dragged to wherever his so-called room was. His Sin was working again and it was making him want to sleep.
Too be busy dozing off, he failed to notice the calculative glance that the human gave him.
Reborn didn't believe that it was easy to capture one of the Seven Deadly Sins but here was the Sin of Sloth, Belphegor or whatever the devil's name was, being chained to him. He wondered if it was because the Sin was Sloth that's why it was so easy.
However, he wouldn't be relaxing now. This was just the beginning and he wouldn't risk failing by relaxing now.
He tugged the chains he had on the demon, almost as if to remind himself that it was real. He had bound one of the Sins to him. The chains would only appear and activate as he pleased but it could also automatically activate if the demon tried to escape again.
It was true that he was not alone in this capture. He was not the only who planned the whole deal. He was just one of the eight people, who did. Another person, the leader, was currently resting in another room after using too much of her powers to bind the demon. She was not a hunter but rather a miko*.
The miko had been the one to set the wards and she had also been the one to make the chains immediately when Sloth arrived. Reborn was told it was just an option to make the plan more perfect. It was not in the original plan. The hunter just added it to increase the rate of their success.
Arcobaleno was the name of their organization. They only consisted of eight people. Originally, they were seven but then, it became eight. They were all acquaintances at worst and siblings at best. They made Arcobaleno for one goal. It was to research about demons and to find their greatest weakest.
The members all had their own business as to why they wanted demons to be researched or gone. Be it for revenge or just for the heck of it, no one would pay attention to them, except for their leader.
That's why Reborn couldn't fail his mission. He had his own reason why he joined in the organization and he would be damned if he let his carelessness be the reason why he failed.
But still, it wasn't like he randomly picked Sloth as the Sin he would capture. He honestly picked Sloth to get some sleep and rest. God knew how much he needed them, especially when he clearly couldn't sleep, no matter what he had done. He had already used sleeping pills but they still had no effect.
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"Oi," dark orbs narrowed at the sight of the young brunet resting in the bed already. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Huh?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow and looked at the hunter in confusion, earning a frustrated glare. He was seriously not getting what the hunter wanted from him. He was not trying to run away now and he was just simply too tired to make conversation so what was wrong now?
"Our deal," Reborn stated as a matter of fact and moved closer to the Sin. He had already disabled the chains "You're supposed to make me have a peaceful sleep and it's night time now."
Moving a hand to stop the other from being too close, Sloth glanced at the mortal. "You were serious?" he earned a nod in reply and he sighed, still exhausted to think. "Fine, fine. Lay down."
He lazily waved his hand and put it on the human's shoulder, forcing him to sit on the edge of his bed. Not listening to what Reborn was going to say, the devil moved his head to the other's ear and muttered lowly, "Sleep."
Using his Sin to affect others required just a simple command so it was no wonder that Reborn easily fell asleep in front of him but now, it made Tsuna pout childishly. His other side, the more human side, was surfacing now that there no other person to see it.
His bed was stolen and he was not allowed to leave because of the deal.
His honey-brown eyes traveled to the hunter who captured him. It wasn't like he couldn't kill the other. That was just against the rule and if it was any other day Sloth wouldn't bother thinking about the rules. He would just kill if he wanted to. He could deal with the punishment afterwards.
However, Hell was in the state of a politics' battle and he's apparently a part of it. One wrong moved and he would endanger his friends and his Lord.
Tsunayoshi sighed deeply, his Sin was working again. It was making him tired again and his thoughts were not helping. He moved to Reborn's side and settled down the other side of the bed. The bed was big enough for two people and he didn't want to sleep on the floor. It was his captor's fault in the first place.
Reborn shouldn't have slept in his bed.
In mere moments, he had fallen asleep as well. It didn't register in his mind that he was sleeping with the other thing he hated other than having his freedom restrained. It didn't register in his mind that he was being far too comfortable with a hunter who lived to kill demons.
He was too tired and sleepy to think or care. Sometimes, he really hated his Sin.
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"Where's Juudaime?!" a silver-haired teen asked frantically, pacing back and forth the gates of a big mansion. "He should be back now..."
"Come on, Dera-kun," a black-haired teen near him waved off his concern. "Tsuna's fine. Even if he were to get captured, he was sure to get out eventually. Humans are not that smart to try and bind demons to themselves. They're too scared of demons."
"Shut up, baka-baseball freak and don't call me that!" growled the so-called Dera-kun. "Of course, I know Juudaime can get out. No human can outsmart him! It's just taking a long time..."
'I'm just worried,' was the thought that the two teen didn't speak up.
To doubt their friend's capability of taking care of himself was an insult but somehow, in this case, the doubt was with good reason. Not that they knew of it now though news traveled fast and wide in Hell. It wouldn't take an hour for them to know that their friend was captured by a hunter.
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End of Chapter 1
*Miko – Shrine maiden or priestress
A/N: Thanks for those who had favorite, follow and review this! I'm glad to know some people are interested in this. If you guys are confused, just review or PM and I'll try to explain! BUT! If you guys try to get some spoiler out of me, then I won't answer. Yeah, this just carries on what happens to Tsuna because really, you can't expect him or anyone to not try to escape. Sure, he's Sloth but come on, lazy people always try to run away from troublesome things. Of course, I'll try to make him escape as well. And yes, Reborn outwit Tsuna even when he's a devil because well Tsuna already admits his flaws. Reborn also has a backup plan and he has other people helping him. So, so, tell me what you guys think? Still good? Still bad?
