PRE-NOTE: Thank you for supporting this! A bit slow on development, but I hope you could stay long enough for some changes. That said, please enjoy. :D

The Selection

by pseudonym08

.

Chapter One | The Preparation

Tsuna was still shaken after that weird announcement last night, to the point that she couldn't sleep. She tried convincing herself everything was a joke, perhaps a technical difficulty of her TV or the show. Or everything was probably a result of hallucination from fatigue. She tried pinching herself. It hurts.

Moreover, it didn't help when the next day at 5 in the morning, someone knocked on her door. Though with her hair disheveled, eyes droopy and still in school uniform from yesterday, she forced herself to answer it. And the minute she did, about 5 men clad in business suits and sunglasses greeted her. There was the small golden pin, the royal symbol, pinned on their collars. Tsuna's sweat dropped. She suddenly began to feel conscious of how she looked. So early! she mentally exclaimed. There are no cameras, are there? She looked around. There was none.

Tsuna invited them in but they all refused, reasoning they were only there to remind her of the results anyway. A man said that in three days time, they would come again to pick her up. So, until then, she can do nothing but perhaps say brief goodbyes to her friends, school and work if she had one. She cannot bring anything, even clothing, so packing was out of the question. Tsuna nodded absentmindedly.

When they left, Tsuna scratched her head. Annoyance, confusion and doubt mixed together. She was still puzzled about everything that happened. She didn't remember writing her name. So… how? Did she sleepwalk and actually manage to register in the dead of the night? Registration was open 24/7. But… Tsuna shook her head.

"Ahh…" she screamed in frustration. "This is trouble. I don't want to be queen. I don't want to be decimo."

She can argue of course that she wasn't the one who wrote in herself. But she knew doing so would only be pointless. The registration was strict. Watchers who are highly resistant to mist's illusion would double-check the name, picture and all other information to the face casting in using the country registry. So it was impossible to fool anyone. And putting in your name was absolute. No turning back. Un-arguable. Much so when you are drawn as the selected.

Tsuna sighed. Perhaps going to school would clear her head? She really needs to stop worrying about all this. Plus, thinking actually makes her feel nauseous. Tsuna massaged her temples before heading back in.

- 0 1 -

Going to school just actually makes her feel worse, Tsuna grunted. She was so used to fading in the background that, after last night's announcements causing her to be noticed, she couldn't stand the occasional teases and stares from her neighbours. Or anyone in particular.

"Ah.. Tsuna-chan, ohayou!" a gentle voice greeted her from the right. Tsuna turned to see her friend waving whilst running towards her. Behind the ginger-head woman was another lad, white-haired and tall, with bandages wrapped around his knuckles. He was punching the air like a skilled boxer that he is.

"Ohayou Kyoko-chan, onii-san," Tsuna smiled. Her mood might've been sour but no way in hell would she drag her friend to misery with her problems.

"Oh, Sawada-chan! Join the boxing club to the extreme!" Ryohei, Kyoko's older brother and captain of aforementioned club, screamed. The perfect epitome of extreme, as if fires and even said word 'extreme' was painted on his very face. And yup, even his favourite word was 'extreme.'

"Onii-san, please stop bothering Tsuna-chan with your club," Kyoto apologised to his friend.

"No, it's alright Kyoko-chan," Tsuna maintained the smile.

"But Sawada-chan is extremely extreme! It would be good to have her on my club."

Tsuna's eye twitched.

She hadn't meant it, impress Ryohei. It was just that the kendo's ex-captain, Kensuke Mochida, was bothering Kyoko too much. So when the lad crossed the line, Tsuna couldn't help but put the said lad in place. Only a few people were there to witness their fight, mostly street thugs Mochida had called for help. And she beat all of them. She didn't realise Ryohei was there too. So, ever since then, the boxing captain wouldn't let go of her.

"What exactly did Tsuna-chan do to get your attention, onii-san?" Kyoko had her pointy on her chin, finally taking the hint to ask.

"She extremely beat up Mochida and his men," Ryohei answered. Kyoko stared blankly at the two. Tsuna was lowering her head, hoping Kyoko wouldn't believe it. And she didn't.

"Really? I didn't know Tsuna-chan could fight," in-came her innocent reply. For some, it might've come out as an insult. But Tsuna understood. After all, she was no-good Tsuna in school. She failed her written tests, was very poor in athletics and generally worse physically. How could someone like her be proficient in fighting?

But she was. Unbelievably, she is.

Tsuna didn't say a word. She believed saying anything else would just worsen the condition. It was best to drop it. Kyoko would soon forget about all of it. The three went on silently to school.

"Ara… Tsuna-chan, that's right, I heard you were one of the selected?" Kyoko asked, breaking the silence just when they were a few blocks away from school. Tsuna resisted the urge to hide underneath her palms again, almost tripping in the process. "Omedetou, Tsuna-chan."

There's nothing to congratulate, Kyoko-chan, Tsuna replied mentally, grieving as she remembered her plight.

"So… it worked, eh?" the other went on mumbling. At this point, Tsuna's ear perked and she faced her friend.

"What worked?"

"I cast in your name, Tsuna-chan," Kyoko answered innocently, not knowing what she did was the very cause of Tsuna's misery. Tsuna again resisted the urge to slap herself and grit her teeth. "Mama wanted me to join so I pretended I was while writing your name. Watcher-san was sleepy that time so it slipped."

Wha-? That's it? Tsuna's sweat dropped. Dark brown eyes searched orangey ones. What kind of reason is that? She face-palmed.

"Kyoko, why? Why me?" Tsuna faced her friend and grabbed her shoulders, crying mentally at the same time. Tsuna wasn't angry. A bit frustrated and disappointed, yes, that the cause of it all was so simple. But she can never be angry, not for something like this.

"Gomen, Tsuna-chan," Kyoko apologised. "But isn't that great? There's a chance you'd be the queen!"

That's the problem- she thought.

"Tsuna isn't extremely fit to be queen, Kyoko!" Ryohei butted in.

"Ryohei's right, Kyoko," though Ryohei's interjection somehow hurt Tsuna, she couldn't help but agree still. "Mou!" Frustrated, she let go of Kyoko. Well, at least now she knew who was the cause of all this. And that she didn't embarrassingly sleepwalk.

The only plan left for her this time would be … do something stupid that will cause her elimination on the introduction. Yes, yes. That's the only course of action left. Then, she can go back to being ordinary again, no problem.

It was a solid plan she was sure could happen.

All she needed was to be herself.

- 0 1 -

Three days passed and five men came to pick her up. Agents, she called them. At first glance, they seemed to look the same, similar to the first five three days ago. But Tsuna noticed they weren't. They were completely different five men, not that it mattered.

The minute she got out, Kyoko and Ryohei were already outside her house to bid goodbye one last time and Tsuna does appreciate it. She each hugged them, promising she'd be back soon. Then, being led to a black sedan car, she finally left with the five.

It was a short ride to the airport. After all, Namimori district is just a small town within the Metro City of Arashi. Along the ride, the five men informed her again of her schedules, stating they'd only accompany her until the airport. A private jet prepared by the royals would then directly take her to the capital Sora, where she would meet the other 25 candidates. Tsuna nodded, though she knew in a few minutes or so she'd forget the instructions said anyway. Then, before she left the car, one agent gave her a strange violet pill and asked her to drink it. Thinking they were for travelling, Tsuna did as she was told.

Both rides were uneventful, car and plane. Tsuna had actually hoped kami-sama would zap the carriage she was in, thus 'causing her to back-out of the competition. But nothing of the sort happened. She had landed safely to the country's capital.

Tsuna tried to calm herself the moment she arrived. She'd been very anxious ever since the fact she was one of the 26 dawned on her again. She had heard the other 25 came from the main cities of the metros, that only she came from the small districts. The others must've been rich as hell, as compared to her who could barely make ends meet, after her mom died and a father she isn't even sure existed or not.

Ah… no point comparing yourself, Tsuna, she consoled herself. After all, what can someone who had nothing possibly lose?

With that in mind, she straightened up herself and pushed the double glass doors of the airport and stepped outside.

To Be Continued

AN: Thank you for reading! :D By the way, sorry I just couldn't bring in a Ryohei/Tsuna pair. Just... no. I have other plans for Ryohei and Tsuna is not one of them, not romantically at least. Anyway, let me know what you think.

NEXT UP: At the Sky Capital, Sora.