A/N: Hi-ho! Thanks to your support, this fic is updated! XD okay, so I changed the summary a bit, because it's not really hitting what I want to hit in the story haha although the plot will stay exactly the same :D. If you're wondering what the first summary has looked like, I've posted it on the bottom A/N. Oh yeah, I've decided to raise the ratings because of the possible VIOLENCE in this fic. Maybe I'm in one of my moods or something, but just in case. Hehe, thanks and enjoy! :9
Disclaimer: I don't own KHR
Warning: twins27 (Tsunayoshi and Ieyasu), genderbend (Tsunahime), adultArcobaleno, talentedtwin (Ieyasu), multi-flames, 1stgenAppearance, knowingNana (Nana knows about the mafia thingy), eventual fem27x18, familial/comradeArcobaleno, introverted(?)Tsunayoshi (still dunno what this warning should be called), violence (Estraneo)
Suspense
"Isn't it sad when you get hurt so much, you can finally say "I'm used to it.""
- Anonymous
Later, on the way home...
Tsuna shivered and breathed out unto his palms, hoping to warm himself in such a cold weather. The difference of temperature between his skin and clothes were so far apart that he wondered how that could even happen. The wind blew once again, and he only wished to get indoors as fast as he could. He wrapped the clothes tighter around his neck and shoulders.
"Heey, Yoshi-nii? Are you spacing out again?"
Tsunahime's face suddenly appeared, completely filling his vision. Said older brother make a quiet yelp and his shoulders jolted in a light surprise, which was somewhat a habit of his whenever he's surprised. She chuckled at the funny reaction before she spun on her heels and skipped a few steps from the boy, who walked behind her in an unchanging, slower pace. She hummed and spread her arms as if she's walking in a tightrope.
"So you are spacing out again!" she laughed lightly. "You've been doing that a lot recently. You should pay attention to your surrounding more, Yoshi-nii!"
"I did not, Hime-chan."
Tsuna grumbled as he was watching his sister's smaller back. She's younger than he is but acted way more childish than she's supposed to sometimes. Well, not that it's a bad thing. It's that characteristic of hers that had always urged his and his entire family's protectiveness. He watched her make a pose as if she's about to fall from a thin line and was walking precariously side to side. He was about to warn her to be careful, but she already got herself steady once again. Sighing, he quietly wondered if that's how she warmed herself up, by not staying still.
Tsunahime twirled around with a mischievous smile. "Hehe, really? Well... did you remember what mom said this morning?"
"Huh?"
"See? You must've spaced out again!" She spun on her heels. "Oh well, since you're not listening then you should find it out yourself."
She said it in a sing-song tone. Tsuna sighed at the way she's playing with him, "Geez, it's because you splashed the water on me that I was almost late!"
"But it woke you up didn't you?"
"I have to dry off all my school books..." he complained. Well, it's not his fault that he put the stack of books just by his bed.
"Sorry, fratello..." her tone went down in an apologizing manner, but the last word had made him question if she really meant it. She had always remembered the foreign word since Ieyasu taught her about it, claiming because "it's easy to remember in her place", and she often said it whenever she's in one of her best or sensitive moods. She pouted, "Mm, it's such a shame though. If you have heard, you must've been hyped about arriving home ASAP."
"I am hurrying to go back to our house."
He shivered once again as soon as he finished his sentence. He heard an incoming giggle from her as she continued to swing her feet up to the air and kicking off the ground lightly. It felt really peaceful at times like this.
No—
Tsuna's feet halted. He heard the voice again. And this time it wasn't a dream or hallucination. In front of him was Tsunahime and around him was the neighborhood he's familiar with but that voice was so real and it's coming from... from where? Suddenly his heart was beating fast. There's something wrong, he didn't know what, but his intuition was trying to tell him something terrible was approaching and they're standing in the eye of the storm. The feeling was so real and was gnawing at his chest that he had to close his eyes and momentarily looked upwards, taking in the sight of the darkening sky to calm himself down. His eyes then looked intently at the smaller figure.
"... Hey, Hime-chan."
"Hm?" She turned around with a smile on her face. "Yeah?"
"..." his lips started to move, but no sound came out. He remembered the figure in his dream, the warmth and the intensity of emotions. He's not sure if he should tell anyone about it. He was pretty confused himself as it is, so he didn't need to drag Tsunahime into this. 'Everything will be alright, it's just another day in your life,' Tsuna thought to himself. Smiling as he threw the bad feelings to the back of his mind, Tsuna shook his head. "Nevermind."
"..." Tsunahime's smile faded a bit. The brightness in her eyes had also dimmed slightly and she turned away to hide it. Spreading her arms once again, she started walking, "Mm-hm."
It may have been either troublesome or convenient that she somehow had an exceptionally strong hunch in reading someone else. And maybe it's unfortunate for Tsuna that he's one of the easiest people to read there was. This time was no exception and she knew that he's stuck in some sort of labyrinth that he had created inside his own mind. She was disappointed and a bit sad that he won't talk to her about it, especially when she knew that he had been so troubled; it was very rare to see him spaced out like that same morning.
'Is it about Ieyasu-nii?' she wondered a bit sadly. She was upset too, with the possibility of Ieyasu leaving them, and she was worried that her other brother had taken the blow even more severe than she had. They may have been compared to each other a lot and Ieyasu may have gained the upper hand in almost everything, but they're still twins and they were bound to have a special bond no other people could have. '... Maybe I should tell him beforehand after all...'
"... Nee, Yoshi-nii."
"Hm?"
"I will tell you after all... about this morning."
Tsunahime tried to smile mischievously, but obviously failing at it. Tsuna just nodded, even though he knew as well that her mood had fallen from the skies to the ground the moment he lied. Tsunahime and him alike, they tend to be able to make out unsaid things that the other tried to hide, but had also kept it a secret between them. And one of her unspoken traits, was that once she's caught in one thought, it's very hard to make her forget about it soon—especially, if it concerned the people who she hold dearly. 'Or could it be that Tsunahime's having a bad feeling as well...?'
She breathed in and made an almost-too-dramatic scene.
"Dad is coming home today."
At this, he immediately felt goosebumps and the familiar zap of electricity through his back and chest. Everything was forgotten. He almost choked. "Eeeeeeh?"
It's been a long, long time since their father was home. She nodded.
"And that's not all! Mom said that he's bringing an acquaintance with him," she paused and was obviously hesitant if she should continue. "... I heard that it's a tutor for Ieyasu-nii."
"...!" he's struck speechless and he didn't know what emotions were pictured in his eyes when Tsunahime fidgeted uncomfortably.
"B-but a tutor coming isn't supposed to determine anything right? I mean, Ieyasu-nii said that he's still considering it and mom has always objected it," Tsunahime flailed her arms everywhere. Her voice didn't sound convincing but she's trying her best. Even at this point of time where they're going home, Ieyasu still continued his courses all by himself. She slowed down, "That's why you shouldn't worry so much, Yoshi-nii."
Ah, he must've been worried after all huh? What he had been worrying about a few minutes ago was forgotten and replaced with a new sense of apprehensiveness. Tsuna suddenly felt incredibly guilty. There was a pang of sadness, worry, objection, and anger but a tiny part of him was relieved. What? He's been relieved because of what? Ieyasu, who he had been compared to his whole life, was about to go? Tsuna licked his dry lips and that gesture was not missed by her eyes.
"... Let's go buy some milk, Yoshi-nii."
"H-huh?"
Tsuna looked at his younger sibling confusedly. She smiled, this time softer.
"Last time I checked the fridge, we're nearly out of milk and you know how grumpy Ieyasu-nii can be whenever he don't have his cereal," she tugged his arm and literally tried to drag him. "C'mon, it won't be long!"
Tsuna blinked as he followed her, dumbfounded. Slowly, a smile formed on his face. She had helped him again, hadn't she? He thought with mixed feelings as he's dragged around by his little sister. Just when he's wondering where on earth was she trying to get to, since it's quite a walk, and was shocked when he realized the familiar post sign.
"Wait... why are we heading here?"
"Because this place has a big store?"
The way she's speaking was as if she's returning his question with another one. Tsuna frowned.
"Aren't you just going to buy some milk?"
"Yeah... but a detour could be fun! Besides, we can visit Yamamoto-san's place later."
Ah, now he got it. It's not just his imagination but he's actually in Yamamoto's neighborhood. A smile just appeared on his face involuntarily and Tsunahime was smiling at him as well, as she turned her shoulders around. She laughed lightly then her grasp on him gone tighter as they were nearing the store. The place was quite big indeed, and the racks were pretty tall and it was packed with a lot of stuff. Immediately after they entered the store, she disappeared behind the shelves, trying to find the milk that she had mentioned before. Meanwhile, he tried to keep his pace as he followed her around, but it was not long before she completely disappeared from his sight. He sighed as he stopped by one of the shelves.
Don't stop—
Tsuna twitched. That voice, again.
"E-excuse me mister..."
Tsuna's head turned so fast that the owner of the unfamiliar voice squeaked lightly. His eyes relaxed when he saw a little boy, no more than five, tugging his pants.
"C-can you help me take that box over there?" the little guest pointed his finger at a small golden-printed box with a picture of a bear on the shelves just above Tsuna's head. Almost out of reflex, Tsuna smiled and he reached the box and handed it to the boy, who smiled widely.
"Here you go."
"Thank you, mister! Thank you very much!" the boy said excitedly. Tsuna was about to wave it off, but was taken off-guard when the boy's hand suddenly gripped his pants again—tight.
Get away—
Tsuna gulped, despite the bad feeling grew inside of his chest. His limbs suddenly felt tense. "Is there something wrong?"
"A-actually..." his voice started to get softer and softer, Tsuna couldn't make out the next word. The boy looked pretty vulnerable that it provoked his protective instinct as an older brother. He squatted to the boy's level and was about to ask him if he needed any help, when he was struck by a very familiar sight. His eyes widened and the hair on his body stood up when he saw how the boy's eyes changed and his lips had turned into one that showed a sinister grin.
"Gotcha."
As soon as the word reached Tsuna's ears, a huge explosion erupted in the area behind him. A second later, he already twisted his body to see the massive dark clouds of the explosion and the broken frames all around the area. It was such a huge explosion that almost half of the store had disappeared behind the smoke. There were screams and sounds of things falling coming from every corner. 'Tsunahime...!' he immediately stood up and forgot everything except the figure in his head. A powerful force had stopped him from walking away though. The boy's hand still holding his pants as if it's his lifeline. The shadow of his bangs fell on his eyes, but Tsuna could see the jet-black eyes and the ever-growing smile on his face.
"Mission to kill—initiate."
Few moments ago, with Tsunahime...
The moment she stepped through the door, her instinct kicked in. She had always accompanied her mom whenever she shopped for groceries, so it's only natural for her to scan the whole area for various items. It only took about two minutes that she found the shelve where they put all the milk and dairy products, and a few seconds late in realizing that her older brother wasn't behind her. It was perfectly normal for such thing to happen, so she shrugged it off and began searching for Ieyasu's favorite kind in the packed racks.
"Hello, young lady," a deep voice suddenly spoke to her. In front of her was a tall man with a kind, but somewhat rigid expression, with the standard store uniform. In his arm was a small basket. "Do you need one?"
His hand lifted the basket he's carrying and her mouth formed an 'o'. "That's okay, thank you. I'm only taking one carton anyway."
"Well, okay then..." his hand retreated to where they were. She expected him to leave but he did not. "Buying grocery for your mother?"
"Oh, no, I'm just buying something for my brother."
"The one you're coming here with?"
The way he said it had rubbed Tsunahime in the wrong way. Something was not right... She carefully stepped away without even taking anything. "Actually no... But I better be going now, he might be worried."
"Well, give them my best regards," he paused. "Sawada Tsunahime."
Her heart almost stopped simultaneously with her shoes. She could feel the eyes on her back, and the ominous vibe closing in on her. She gulped and it took every inch of her to remain standing where she was. She didn't know where she got it, but a rare strength cursed through her vein all the way to her brain. A weary smile pursed on her lips.
"Hm, I wonder how you know my name."
"You know that your family was pretty infamous in our world. Especially after what your oldest brother did."
'Our world? Oldest brother... Ieaysu-nii? Did he do something?' Her palms were sweating right now. "Unfortunately, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh you weren't supposed to," suddenly his voice was right beside her ears, brushing some strands of her hair. She literally didn't take a single breath. "After all, you've been living your whole life believing you only have two brothers."
"...!"
She had twisted her body around to see him, but everything was blasted away soon after she heard him whispered the almost-intangible word: initiate.
Few moments ago, somewhere else...
It was a peaceful evening for Yamamoto as he strolled home in a happy mood, as he often did. The baseball club was doing great and they're hoping to win another game in the next match. Even though today's practice was cancelled because the coach said so, he ended up practicing privately with some of his friends for a few quick rounds. It was getting a bit late and there's barely some people left in school, and that's around ten minutes ago. The air was getting a bit chillier but it's not something he can't handle. Around him was a quiet atmosphere, except for the birds, who chirped from times to times. His house was just a few blocks away, but he wasn't really in a hurry, because today was somewhat special.
"So, you just got back from your course, Ieyasu?" Yamamoto asked to the shorter figure beside him.
"Yeah, but actually today's lesson has been cancelled, so I just go back immediately after I arrived," the brunette answered and Yamamoto mused over the fact that Ieyasu's voice was so much deeper and mature-sounding than Tsuna, even though they're almost the exact copy. It felt different too, when they chatted.
"That's pretty coincidental; me too," the baseball star laughed.
"Actually I've been thinking the same thing," Ieyasu laughed as well, but it was a more composed, small laugh. Yamamoto was startled when the laugh died down abruptly. Suddenly there's a serious, solemn vibe around Ieyasu. "I'm not sure if I want to go back home soon though."
"... Is there something wrong?" Yamamoto carefully asked. He may not look like it, but Tsuna had always pointed out how Yamamoto was considerate of others' problems and feelings. Ieyasu sighed.
"Well... I don't know if Tsuna heard it, since he's kind of spaced out this morning, but... my mom said that there's a tutor coming, and..." Ieyasu sighed a big, long sigh. "I don't know. I feel like I'm not ready to face him or my family."
"..." they both walked in silence for a moment. "Is it about transferring to Italy?"
Yamamoto noticed the reluctance in Ieyasu's facial expression, as if he was hiding something. Either way, he didn't pry anymore answer when Ieyasu simply answered, "Sort of."
The tall teen was about to retort an advice but his eyes had caught an odd object that he never seen in his daily routine. He squinted and Ieyasu's eyes were also fixated at its direction. "What is that? Is that... smoke?"
They both jolted in surprise when there's a distant sound of explosion and soon, another pillar of grey smoke formed up to the sky. It was an ominous and out-of-place addition to the orange-colored sky. Yamamoto's seriousness kicked in and he was about to run to see what happened, but turned out that Ieyasu had beat him to it and had started sprinted towards the direction. There's no time to be startled, so Yamamoto immediately followed the brunette and was able to keep up with his speed. He almost closed the gap between them when he heard Ieyasu muttered something with desperation and anxiousness—
"Please... not my siblings again."
Present time, with Tsuna...
"Mission to kill: initiate."
Tsuna had wanted to shriek and curled himself into a ball, but it was too surrealist and too noisy to do anything but trying to escape from the pandemonium. As soon as the little kid let out a dangerous vibe, he had started running and only barely able to escape the second explosion. This time it wasn't so big, but it was so nearby that he was thrown through the air and landed painfully to some shelves, which luckily stored crackers and stuff. For a second, his vision leered and although he saw things, but the nerves inside of his brain couldn't process anything.
"Tsunahime..." he grunted, coughing loudly just to get some air in and out of his lungs. The floor around him was cracked; he could even saw some of the concrete. His ears only caught a high-pitched mono-sound. While trying to stand up, he saw the little number of staffs were also running about. He'd seen one stumbling away from inside the smoke, while another one was running unharmed while covering her nose and mouth. He gritted his teeth and felt blood, "Hime-chan...!"
"Wow, you siblings do have a thing for survival!"
Tsuna didn't want to look around, but he found himself staring at the same kid who minutes ago innocently tugged his pants and asked for help. Now he's lying on the ground and the kid was staring down at him with a look that he had never seen before, however he recognized one strong expression that stood out—amusement.
It's no time for Tsuna to be amused, though. He immediately mustered every ounce of strength he had unto his limbs and tried to get away from the kid but he really had none. There's no more strength in his body except to keep his heart beating. He coughed and he swore he's not even shocked when he saw blood splattered on the floor when he did. In his ragged breath, he muttered, "W-who are you...?"
"Me? I'm a part of the proud Estraneo family, who had taken quite a bit of interest in your relationship with the 'young lion of Vongola'."
Tsuna frowned. He barely able to make out the word. "V-Vongola...?"
"Oh, don't worry, we'll get to know each other a lot more in the lab later," his lips formed a Cheshire grin. Tsuna was dreaded enough, but his nerves seemed to break when he heard an ear-piercing scream that he had never heard of, but was so familiar with.
"Hime-chan...!" he muttered between gritted teeth. He heard a terrifying dragging sound in the midst of silence and he was hoping that he was guessing wrong. "No...! Please, no..."
Not even half a minute later, he saw a tall, slender figure walking gallantly from beneath the smoke and rubbles. His eyes widened and his heart was as if it's been forced to shut down. It felt like no blood was running through his veins and there's nothing in his head but air. It felt exactly like that when he saw just whom the figure was dragging with one of his hand, so nonchalantly. 'Hime...!'
"Idiota, you almost killed our precious subject!" the tall stranger angrily scolded the kid, who just threw his face away.
"Heh, you're one to talk."
"This one was not as important. However, we may never know," Tsuna was agonized as he helplessly watched the stranger abruptly threw the unconscious Tsunahime in front of him, close enough to see the amount of blood on her clothes and skin. "But you know what, better be safe than sorry. Might as well break their legs to prevent them from escaping."
"Great idea," the kid gave a thumb-up.
"...?!" Tsuna's jaws dropped. His eyes stuck to the figure that leisurely squatted near Tsunahime's legs and was about to...
Crack.
The image flowed into his head as if he had a premonition of the future. Everything in his vision was going in a slow-motion. His adrenaline was pumping.
That man was going to hurt her—Tsuna's pupils shrunk in focus. The man put either of his hands on the joints of her legs.
I need to save her—his fists clenched, a hot liquid rushed through his entire body. The man about to apply some strength. In a spur of the moment, Tsuna saw nothing but red. He feel the voice, even if he didn't hear it and it shared the same feelings. It was boiling—
Anger.
Rage.
Wrath.
"Tsunayoshi!" That unknown voice had shouted and it was so transparent inside of his mind. In that very moment, a surge of power he never felt before filled him up the brim and he felt both boiling hot and soothing warmth. He didn't even notice the two's bewildered faces as they watched him slowly standing firmly in front of them, with a too-historical power imbedded in him. The moment he clenched his fists, the two almost exclaimed their revelation as they saw the steady orange-colored flame covering his fists. "Don't—"
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SISTER!"
... to be continued
A/N: First off, I would like to thank you for all of your support, I'm really, really grateful! XDDDDDDDD Honestly, I don't know why this fic's atmosphere is getting darker and darker... and I don't know why it's extremely difficult for me to depict Tsuna here... maybe because I'm sleep-deprived? Maybe. Haha. Well, I do hope that Tsuna's still in-chara :) do point it out if he's acting way too OOC. Oh, one of the reasons I raised the rating, besides the possible violence in the future updates, is that every time I imagined the Italic-ed "Crack." I was like... "Ow. That sounds hurt..." and the image of breaking someone's legs really comes to my head. Oops, sorry about the somewhat-gore description here haha.
THANK YOU EVERYONE! *huggles* special thanks to Codename-Erza, NarupokeeAurorafan, Guest, meme7789, Kage kitsune no yami for the kind words! :DDDDDDD
[Previous summary] Sawada Tsunayoshi was meant to be in his twin's, Ieyasu's, shadow and supported by his younger sister, Tsunahime. His friends thought so, the Vongola thought so, and Tsuna himself thought so. But one person didn't. Tutoring the soon-to-be boss, it'll eventually lead to ending the Vongola or rebuild it.
Questions you'd probably ask as a reader (or I will if I'm the reader):
Q: How can Tsunahime acted so collected when she met the Estraneo member? Isn't she supposed to be around thirteen?
A: I know this sounds strange, but well... hehe, this is an important point and will be explained later on X)
Q: What's this about Tsuna hearing a voice? Is he schizophrenic?
A: nope. But I'm guessing you already can figure it out after reading the summary
Q: Hmm, do Estraneo have such a member again? I mean, a kid? As a subordinate, not a subject for experiment?
A: well... this is... fiction? Hahaha, just because it's more dramatic and horrifying in a way LOL
Q: Ouch. So they really broke Tsunahime's legs?
A: fortunately, no. They didn't. The imagery was playing in Tsuna's head that's all.
Q: Who's the 'young lion of the Vongola'? It couldn't be Iemitsu... can it?
A: fufu, will be explained later on. However, I don't know if this eases your worries, but it's NOT Iemitsu, although it's the cannon alias for Iemitsu
Q: So, the flames system is a bit different or just the same as cannon?
A: hmm, since it's only mentioned briefly here, so maybe it's going to develop to a slightly different way than the cannon hehe.
Q: What's this about them having anotherunknown older brother? Could it be one of the first gen...? Or one of the Varia? Dino? Arcobaleno?
A: will be revealed later on hehe.
Q: When are the other guardians going to appear? Or will they even appear?
A: yes, worry not, they will appear. However, there will be a MAJOR twist, and maybe the line-up for Tsuna's and Ieyasu's guardians are not so normal/cannon. So, expect the unexpected characters to be in their line-up! But it won't be an OC :)
Q: How about Hyper Intuition?
A: this one is a little bit tricky in this fic, and will be explained more later on :D but for now, in this chapter, let's just say that it's not exactly 100% hyper intuition that's going on here
