THE SECOND COMING
Warnings: Violence and language; hidden genius yet lazy Tsuna; very overprotective guardians; lots of dialogue
Genre: Family/Friendship/Humor/Hurt/Comfort
Pairings: Mild All27, 6996, 33Hana; mainly a friendship/family thing
Disclaimer: Reborn doesn't belong to me and neither does any of its characters.
This story will follow the manga plot, NOT the anime.
Ever since the boy was young, everyone knew that Sawada Tsunayoshi was different from the other kids his own age. There was just something about him that had all the adults giving him weird looks; some in awe, some in fear.
A normal 3 year old woudn't be able to clearly understand what other people were saying when they used big words.
A normal 3 year old woudn't be able to talk so clearly like an adult and use vocabulary words far too advance for his age.
A normal 3 year old wouldn't be able to comprehend the complex math equations from their mother's shopping reciepts.
A normal 3 year old woudn't be able to read nor understand the thick paperback novels found in the bookstores.
A normal 3 year old would have cried when they fell down and scrapped their knees.
A normal 3 year old would have constantly be running all over the place and shrieking with delight at the sight of many toys to play with or buy.
And yet, the Sawada family's only child never did any of those. He was too quiet, too smart, too understanding, too calm, too apathetic, too distant; he was...'abnormal'.
Chapter 1: The Tutor from Italy
"Sawada, catch!"
Nodding, Tsuna caught the ball and started to make his way towards the opponent's net, seeing as he was the closest in his team. A member from the opposite team tried to block his way, but Tsuna smoothly passed him. Seeing as he was about to be blocked again, he quickly judged the distance of the net from his position. It wasn't too far, but he doubted he'd make it at the angle he was in, yet he could see a teammate coming near the hoop. Perfect.
Shooting the ball towards the net, true to his prediction, the ball bounced off the rim and headed towards his teammate. The guy caught it and managed to get the ball into the hoop when he threw it. That shot ended the mark of the game as well as the the end of gym class.
"Hey Sawada, you were lucky that Kosuke was there to save the ball. You could have lost us the game, again!" Tsuna wanted to roll his eyes at his team's captain, but ended up settling with a deadpanned stare.
"If I didn't think he would be able to save it, I would have passed it to you instead, Sempai.". The captain's eye twitched at the noted sarcasm. If there was one thing that irked him about Sawada the most, it was his ability to effortlessly win arguements with polite sarcasm.
"Ha ha, he got you there Captain. Give the guy a break, at least he's not as bad as that guy who had to change schools during summer break."
And he was right. Now that guy was everything no one had thought possible to exist; bad grades, extremely clumsy, no ounce of an atheletic bone in him, was socially stunted, and was too quiet. The captain was lucky that Sawada was not as bad as him. He was clumsy (he did manage to always catch himself in time though), and he may be a bit anti-social (the guy always had an apathetic expression glued to his face, maybe that's why few approached him), but the kid overall wasn't a bad person, just your usual average Joe; even if he did wanted to hit the guy's face every once in awhile for cheeking him.
"Tch, whatever. Let's just quickly clean the place up and get outta here." Everyone nodded and got to work.
Tsuna secretly smiled.
"The Baby's coming today isn't he?" Tsuna looked up to see the disciplinary chairman leaning on the wall. A smile formed on the brunette's usual blank face at the sight of one of his closest friends. It was a secret though, known only to a handful of people in the school. Hibari Kyoya did not want his image of a loner to be ruined. No, not just yet.
"Yeah, when I get home. You know what to do, right, Kyoya?" The other gave a smirk, showing that he knew exactly what he was supposed to do.
"Hn. You better hurry up and grow your fangs Little Carnivore. I'm getting bored just beating up weaklings and the current you." Tsuna chuckled as he sweatdropped. He was able to hold his own against the prefect for at least 5 minutes, and it usually only involved dodging his tonfas.
"Of course, Kyoya." Satisfied, Hibari ruffled Tsuna's hair and left, his jacket swishing after his form. Tsuna smiled and looked up at the sky. "Looks like our peaceful days are about to come to an end."
"It seems so huh?" The brunette turned and saw another of his close friends jogging towards him. Yamamoto Takeshi, as well as Kyoya, had been his friends since primary school, yet it wasn't public knowledge. Tsuna didn't like the idea of being hounded by fangirls or targeted by those who have grudges against the chairman. At least, not just yet.
"And you know your part too Takeshi?" The older boy grinned and ruffled the younger boy's hair just like how Kyoya had done earlier. Tsuna closed his eyes in contentment.
"We're all gonna play pretend with the Kid, right? Don't worry Tsuna, I'm fully prepared." Yamamoto's expression then turned somber. "I'm more worried about you though. You sure you'll be okay? It is an Arcobaleno we're going to be dealing with after all."
"Don't worry. If I did it once, I can do it all over again," Tsuna replied as he gave his friend his reassuring smile.
"You mean, 'if he did it once, you can do it over again but this time make it better, right?" The brunette's impish smile was all the answer Yamamoto needed. The baseball star just laughed. "And Hayato? Heard from him yet?"
"He's already making plans to come. It took awhile, but his father finally allowed for his mother to secretly stay here in Namimori, away from all the chaos at home. They'll be here in time," replied the younger boy.
"That's good. At least this time, he'll have someone to go back home too."
"Ah." It certainly was lonely when no one was there to greet you back home. He was happy with Hayato this time around. Not only that, he'll be able to get to know his mother more. "Oh, Oniisan is ready as well."
"Yeah, he seemed a bit restless these past couple days. He even busted 5 sandbags today in addition to the 3 he destroyed yesterday and the day before that. Kyoya wasn't very happy with him, so he told Sempai that since he was the captain of the boxing club, he had to be the one to replace them all." Tsuna winced.
"I'll see if I can talk to Kyoya to at least make him pay for half of them. I hope he's not forgetting that we don't get big paychecks anymore. Well, I should get going. He's bound to be there already, or at least almost getting there."
"Ha ha, right. So, I guess it's approriate to say, 'let the games begin?'" Tsuna nodded, smirking as he continue to lean into his future guardian's warm touch.
"Yeah, 'let the games begin'."
"I'm home!"
"Ah, Tsu-kun, welcome home!" his mother called out as she went to give her son a big hug. Tsuna didn't mind, but sometimes she hugged him a little too tightly. Like right now.
"Okaa-san, I need to breathe."
"Ara? Oh Tsu-kun, I'm sorry," Nana apologized as she loosened her hold a bit. "Ne, Tsu-kun, guess what? There was an interesting flyer in the mailbox this morning." Tsuna raised an eyebrow, secretly knowing what she was going on about.
"What does it say?" Nana took a piece of paper from the folds of her apron pocket and handed it to him. The brunette looked at it and read the words outloud: "Will raise your kid to be the new leader of the next generation. Grade and subject doesn't matter. Signed, Reborn."
"Isn't it great? I've never seen a promotion like this before." Tsuna gave her a deadpanned look.
"Are you sure it's not a scam? And Okaa-san, I've already got good enough grades to at least get into Namimori High, I don't need a tutor."
"But Tsu-kun, what about getting into a top ranking University? You need to plan for the future! You're smart enough to easily reach the top of your class. I really don't understand why you like only being average."
"Simple, I don't like attention nor doing extra workload."
"Mou, Tsu-kun, I've already called them. At least meet with them first before you decide," Nana pouted. Tsuna sighed. Resisting his mom when she was pouting like that was futile. He knew because he could do the same thing towards his friends, and they would almost always cave in (with Kyoya though, you had to put more effort) whenever he wanted something done that they were a bit hesitant to do.
"Alright, fine." Nana cheered as she hugged her son again. Tightly. "MOM, CAN'T BREATH!"
"Ciaossu!" Both mother and child paused as they heard a small squeaky voice coming from the floor.
Tsuna's eyes soften for a nano sec before returning to his blank expression. There, standng in his signature black suit and fedora hat, was the Sun Arcobaleno, Reborn, his old - no, new tutor. Of course Tsuna had to pretend he didn't know that. It would be troublesome to their plans if Reborn ever found out, especially this early on in the game. He was really happy to see him again and a part of him wanted nothing more than to hug the living daylights out of the infant and to beg for the other's forgiveness, but he reigned that urge in. This Reborn was not his, this Reborn does not know yet the boy named Sawada Tsunayoshi.
"Ara, whose kid are you?" Nana inquired, wondering how a child had even gotten in the house without her and Tsuna knowing.
"Hm? I'm Reborn, the home tutor." For a moment silence filled the room. Tsuna then kneeled down and had a staredown with the baby, making sure the hitman wouldn't get past the protected walls he had built up over the years. Beady black eyes bore into honey brown ones, and Tsuna was able to spot a glint of interest. Finally satisfied, Tsuna turned to his mother.
"He's not lying." Nana nodded slowly. If her son said the kid wasn't lying, then he wasn't. It had always been like that since he was 3, always knowing when anyone wasn't telling the truth. From his position, Reborn raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? You know I'm telling the truth?" He was intrigued. He remembered years ago about Iemitsu telling him that Tsuna had showed signs of his hyper intuition manifesting early. He didn't think it would quickly mature this much without any outside help. And when he meant outside help, he meant the dying will bullet.
"Yeah," replied the brunette. "It's something I've been able to do since I was young. Anyways, no offence, but what could a baby teach me?" Tsuna saw the other twitch and it was only due to his intuition that he managed to narrowly dodge the kick coming for his stomach. He ended up landing on his bottom though. Nana could only gasp in surprise. "Woah, that was close!" His instincts acted up once again, and even though Reborn managed to flip him over, Tsuna managed to quickly roll with the force and lessening the damage.
"Hmph, at least it seems you have some skill," grumbled Reborn. "You still have a long way to go though." He knew the boy was average in most things he did, but it seemed he underestimated the boy a bit. And if what Sawada Nana said earlier was true, then his new student could make it to the top easily, but was very unmotivated in doing so. Well then, as his new tutor, he'd just have to motivate him.
"Sorry again if I offended you, but you've got to admit, most would have reacted the same way," Tsuna apologized as he stood back up. He winced a bit at the pain on his back, but hid it quickly. Unknowningly to him, not quickly enough as Reborn noticed, causing him to smirk a bit.
"I'll let it slide this once. Well, aren't you going to show me where I'm going to sleep? As your tutor, I'll need to be in the same room as you."
"Eh? I know I already acknowledged you as someone who is a tutor, but I didn't say anything yet about accepting you as my tutor. My grades are fine the way they are!"
"And from the conversation earlier with your mother, it seems you have been holding back. It's my job as a tutor to make sure my students reach 100 percent of their full potential, no matter what." To Tsuna's 'dismay', this sentence seemed to be the magic words that caught his mom's undivided attention.
"Eh? Reborn-kun, can you really do that? I've been telling Tsu-kun for years to do better, but nothing I say would change his mind. Tsu-kun is really a genius in disguise."
"Okaa-san," Tsuna whined, "don't just go spilling my secrets to people you just met!" Sadly, his complaint was ignored as Nana gave Reborn a hopeful look.
"Of course. I've never had a student before who failed from my tutoring." That sealed the deal. Tsuna sighed as Nana squealed happily.
Leading his new tutor to his room, Tsuna internally said good bye once again to his previous peaceful life. It may have been short, and it may have been boring at times, but he had enjoyed that kind of life nonetheless. Opening his room, he let Reborn enter first before he followed suit. Unlike before, he made sure his room was tidy and clean, especially when it dealt with his clothes. The Reborn from before had ingrained in him to make sure his clothes were always presentable, even if they were just a hoodie or a sleeveless shirt.
"Well, I guess you can make yourself at home. Although, I'll have to get you a futon to sleep on..."
"No need." When Tsuna glanced towards his tutor, he stood rock stiff at the sight before him. Reborn was already lying in a hammock that hung from his room's ceiling.
I only looked away for 2 seconds! Just when the hell did he manage to do that!? I know it's Reborn, but still, that's totally illogical! Reborn smirked at the expression on his student's face. At least the boy didn't start yelling his head off about the impossible, unlike some other student of his.
Miles away across the ocean in the country of Italy, a blond haired mafia boss suddenly sneezed. This in turned caused him to trip down the stairs. Poor him.
"So on to business." Reborn jumped down from his hammock and opened his briefcase. Inwardly, excitement coursed throughout Tsuna's very being, but outwardly, he only raised an eyebrow.
"A gun? Why do you have a real gun?" Finished with assembling his weapon, Reborn pointed it at his student, but was disappointed when the boy's face didn't loose its blankness. Although, to be truthful, he was impressed once again that Tsuna could look to be so calm when a dangerous weapon was right in front of his face.
"That's because, my lazy student (Lazy? Well that was better than being called 'No Good'), my true line of work is assassination. My real job is to make you into a mafia boss." Reborn gave a critical look to his student as he gauged the brunette's reaction. There was definitely something a bit off with the boy, and it wasn't just his apathetic expression. He couldn't really put his finger on what it was, especially this early in their meeting, but he knew he would have to pay extra attention to his charge to try and find out what made the boy feel so...well, strange.
"Wha? A mafia boss?" was Tsuna's only reply. He tilted his head to the side as if in thought. Once again, Reborn was disappointed with the reaction. Was there even anything that could make that boy's blank face crack?
"I was assigned by a certain man to train you to become an astounding mafia boss. The method is left up to me." He then raised his gun towards Tsuna's head. "So, should I shoot you once?" His student's facial expression didn't change, but the boy's eyes narrowed just a tad bit. Another staredown began, but it only last a few seconds before Reborn's stomach growled. "Hmph, I guess we'll have to do it later. It's dinner time." And with that, the infant left the room.
When he was sure that Reborn wouldn't be hearing him, Tsuna opened up his cellphone and speed dialed Kyoya's number. After a few rings, the prefect answered with an annoyed grunt.
"Sorry for waking you up from your nap Kyoya, but I'm just letting you know that contact has been made. You better prepare yourself. Nami-chu is going to get very noisy soon." A growl.
"Dully noted. Just try and lower the destruction this time. Even for you I won't show any mercy. I'll thoroughly bite you to death, understand." It wasn't a question, but a command, something the chairman wasn't afraid to give his future boss.
"Hie Kyoya, you're so mean," Tsuna teased.
"Little Carnivore," Hibari warned.
"Sorry sorry. I'll try to keep Reborn from doing too much damage. Oyasumi (1), Kyo-chan." And before the prefect could respond back, Tsuna ended the call. Oh it was so much fun riling the guy up sometimes. He looked like a cute angry birdy that was puffing itself up to look more intimidating. Sadly for the prefect, the brunette became immune to his menacing aura long ago.
"Ne, how come you're following me?"
"As your tutor, I'll need to be close to you at all times, didn't I already say that earlier?"
"It's not like I care about what others will think if they saw me around a baby in a suit, but it'll be annoying if they questioned me about it...oh?" Tsuna paused as he saw the person walking towards his direction.
It was his old crush, Sasagawa Kyoko, another one of his close friends, and this one was public, unfortunately. He had outgrown his puppy love for her in the beginning of his first year in high school and had grown to look to her as a loving sister. Funny thing was, their interaction always made people mistaken them for twins if you could believe that. Although he had to admit, she and his mother did resemble one another very much, and not just in looks.
"Ah, Tsuna-kun, ohayo!" she greeted happily as she practically tackled him with a hug. Good thing it wasn't as tight as his mom's. Tsuna hugged her back.
"Ohayo, Kyoko-chan." And lo and behold, Reborn was both surprised and disbelieving when his student finally cracked a smile. It was small, yet it was there.
He was pleased to find what made the brunette show this hidden side of him, but after witnessing such an expression, Reborn thinks he knows why the boy didn't bother to casually show it around others. If that small smile alone left the girl in his arms all flustered, imagine what a full blown version of it would do. There was no doubt in his mind that Tsuna will end up having himself a fan club that will secretly stalk him wherever he went. Still, Reborn did say he'd make sure to have his student open up all his hidden potential, and a mafia boss needed a lot of charm and charisma if he wanted to win people over. Hm, baby steps. Take small baby steps and focus more about his fighting skills at the moment; the socializing would eventually follow and come into play.
"Hm?" Kyoko finally managed to notice the infant on the floor. "Kyaaa, how cute!" she squealed as she bended down to Reborn's level. "Why are you wearing a suit?"
"Because I'm in the mafia," was the blunt response.
"Waaah how cool!" Cue more squealing. Tsuna sighed in exasperation at his friend's cluelessness. She was far from being dumb, but still. Oh well, might as well go witht the introductions.
"Reborn, this is a close friend of mine, Sasagawa Kyoko. Kyoko-chan, this is Reborn, my new home tutor."
"Ciaossu! Nice to meet you," greeted the baby hitman.
"It's nice to meet you too Reborn-kun! So, your Tsuna-kun's tutor?" was her rhetorical question. She then turned towards her brunette friend. "Does that mean you're finally going to show everyone that you're actually very smart Tsuna-kun?" Tsuna only groaned.
"Mou, do I have to?" he complained.
"Yes you do," was Reborn's automatic reply.
"That would be wonderful Tsuna-kun! I bet a lot of people will be asking for your help when they find out that you're actually a genius!" Tsuna sighed again and absentmindedly looked at his watch.
"And that's exactly what I don't want. Anyways Kyoko-chan, I think you should go now."
"Ah, alright. You sure you don't want to walk with me?" she asked hopefully (lol rhyme). The boy shook his head.
"I don't want Mochida-sempai getting on my case again. I have a feeling he's waiting for you near the front entrance." Kyoko gave a disappointed look. After a month in the beginning of the school term, Tsuna had stopped walking with her to school. It didn't really help when people started to complain about her friendship with him, despite her telling them over and over again that Tsuna was one of her closests friends, and that she couldn't just abandon him just because they told her too. Nonetheless, Tsuna kept his distance during school and didn't approach her unless she did it first.
"Well, okay. See you later then, and good luck with the mafia and tutoring Tsuna-kun, Reborn-kun."
"Ciao ciao," the infant waved goodbye. Once out of earshot, he turned to his student. "Not bad, it seems you do know a bit about mafia seduction." Tsuna gave him a beweildered look, although it wasn't much when his expression returned to being apathetic.
"Come again?"
"Do you like that girl?" The brunette only blinked and raised an eyebrow. Even in this time, Reborn still asked the same question.
"If you're asking if I have a crush on her, then the answer's no. She's one of my childhood friends that I've known since preschool. We grew up together and were very close like siblings. The neighbors would even sometimes mistaken us for twins. I can't see myself having a romantic relationship with her. It'll be too weird."
"I see. And what about this Mochida guy? It sounds like you don't like him at all," Reborn inquired in curiosity. Hey, anything pertaining to his student, he had to know as the boy's tutor.
"You're right, I don't. Kyoko-chan is our school's idol, and Mochida-sempai is considered one of the more popular guys in the school - well the girls mainly think that anyway - so to many of the students, they think the two match up perfectly. But Mochida-sempai has quite a chauvinistic attitude towards woman, and he's a total playboy. But he keeps that fact a secret, especially from Kyoko-chan."
"Then why don't you tell her?" Really, if he cared about the Kyoko girl, he'd at least warn her.
"Don't worry, she knows," replied Tsuna, a smirk gracing his lips, "She's keeping a real close watch on the guy, but I can't really interfere, seeing as they're part of the same committee and all. Anyways, I better go to school before I get bitten to death by Hibari again. Follow me if you want or just go back home. You still have to explain to me about this whole mafia boss thing, but you can tell me later." Before he even managed to take 2 steps, instincts told him to duck. So he did, and watched his tutor land in front fo him with another disappointed look. "Mou, what's the deal this time?"
"I wasn't finished speaking Lazy-Tsuna. Even if I explained everything to you later, know that it doesn't matter if you decide to deny your role as a future mafia boss, you have no choice but to accept it." He stared pointedly at his student, daring him to try and rebuke his words. His eyes widened a little when he found himself the victim of one of Tsuna's hidden smiles, but unlike the other one that was filled with happiness, this one was just the opposite.
"To tell the truth, I don't really like the idea of being groomed into being a boss of an organized criminal syndicate. I even like it less that I'm not given a choice. But...is it really something only I can do Reborn?" The infant raised an eyebrow, but nodded.
"Ah. You fit every criteria, so you were chosen. No one else can do it, except you." Tsuna's melancholy smile grew, and Reborn had to keep himself from showing that it had any affect on him.
"I see. If that's the case, then I really have no choice but to accept it. Please tell me more later." And with that, Tsuna continued his treck towards the school, leaving behind a surprised Arcobaleno.
As Tsuna predicted, Mochida had waited for Kyoko at the entrance. Kyoko noticed him and was about to greet him again, but a quick look from the brunette stopped her.
Unfortunately, Mochida noticed and looked to see whose attention his 'beloved' Kyoko was trying to get. To his annoyance, it was the person he liked least in the whole school, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Mochida hated the teen for being so close to the girl he liked, and even though he and Kyoko repetitively told him that they harbored no romantic feelings with each other, he was not willing to believe them anytime soon. He saw the many times they shared a so called 'sibling' hug, Kyoko's eyes would fill up with so much happiness that he couldn't help but think the two were lying about their platonic relationship.
He glared at the passing brunette, conveying all the loathing he felt for the guy, but Tsuna did nothing but merely glance his way with his usual apathetic look. That only made Mochida more irritated. No matter what he did, the guy's facial expression never seemed to change except for the occasional smirk, mocking, and smug looks. Tsuna ignored the fuming Kendo captain in favor of greeting Kyoko agian, and casually walked in the school. At seeing Kyoko's happy expression once again, Mochida snapped.
"Hey Sawada, I challenge you to a duel!" He practically shouted for everyone around them to hear. He barely heard Kyoko's gasp of surprise, as all his attention was on the brunette who paused. Tsuana turned his head and gave a deadpanned stare.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested."
"What's wrong Sawada, afraid you'll lose?" Mochida taunted. Tsuna just smirked.
"No. I just don't waste my time on weaklings Mochida-sempai. I'm just saving you from losing face that's all." That infuriated the captain further, especially the mutterings of his fellow peers around them, but Mochida only responded with a arrogant smirk.
"Ha, I'm the captain of the Kendo club Sawada. There's no way that you, someone who trips on his own feet and has never held a shinai (2) in his life, can possibly beat me," he boasted. His confidence grew when the other students started agreeing with him.
It was true, Sawada would trip occasionally over his own feet. Not only that, he'd trip down the stairs, in running exercieses during gym class, and even over air. At times like those, the brunette would be called 'Clumsy Tsuna'. No one had seen Sawada hold any kind of practice swords for Kendo either. The way he saw it, this duel will go to his favor. Now he needed an incentive for Sawada to accept his challenge, and he knew who to use.
"Look, since you're a novice at Kendo, I'll make it easy for you. If you can get an Ippon (3) off of me, then you win! If you can't, then I win! The prize of course," here he pointed his finger to a surprised Kyoko, "is Sasagawa Kyoko!"
"Eh!? Pri...prize!?" the school idol cried out in indignant, and so did a few others.
Tsuna narrowed his eyes. He had hoped to not have this event happen at all, but it seemed fate was being a bitch. He had seen it coming, but nonetheless it still made him furious that Mochida would think of Kyoko as an object to be won. And that bastard knew that with Kyoko at stake, he would not have been able to refuse. He gritted his teeth in annoyance, but then sensed a presence looming near the gate and knew right away who it was. He inwardly cackled at his sudden idea.
"Fine, I accept your challenge. However, let's make this more interesting. Whom ever loses will have to get bitten to death by Hibari Kyoya for causing a rucus as well as allowing a crowd to form around him." At the mention of Nami-chu's fearsome prefect, everyone (excluding Kyoko and Tsuna) froze as a menacing aura permeated in the air. Lo and behold, the Disciplinary Committee's chairman stood just 5 feet away from the gate, a predatory smirk forming on his face.
"So I get to play with the loser? I'll make sure to bite you to death thoroughly then. Although, the loser will also get twice the biting for causing a disturbance; you Sawada Tsunayoshi for involving me with your little scheme, and you Mochida Kensuke for daring to use a Nami-chu student as a bargaining chip.(4) Any objections?"
"None, Hibari-san (5)," Tsuna replied with his usual blank face. He looked to the Kendo captain and noted with satisfaction at Mochida's pale white face and quaking knees. "You Mochid-sempai?" Everyone knew that tone. Sawada Tsunayoshi was now potraying the nickname he was given at school.
Sarcastic Tsuna.
"No-no-none a-at a-all!" The captain stuttered. Hibari looked pratically gleeful.
"Good. The duel will commence at lunch time in the gymnasium. Failure to show up will result in an automatic forfeit. Now get to class, before I bite all of you to death." No one needed to be told twice. The surrounding students dispersed and the entrance gate became bare in exactly under 5 seconds. The only ones that hadn't left yet were Tsuna, Kyoko, and Hibari.
"Ano," started Kyoko, "Thank you Tsuna-kun, Kyoya-kun. But don't you think that was a bit too extreme as a form of punishment?" Both boys snorted.
"That herbivore was being too loud when he announced that challenge. He woke me up from my nap, so he deserves to be bitten to death."
"He had it coming. Usually I'd just ignore him as I always did, but it became personal when he included you into the deal Kyoko-chan. You know how I can't stand it when my friends are targeted just to get to me." Kyoko continued to give her troubled look, but eventually caved in and gave the two an appreciative smile.
"Thank you." Tsuna smiled. Hibari just gave his signature 'hn'.
Up in a nearby tree, Reborn's eyes glinted at the display he had just witnessed. He couldn't help but feel excitement for the upcoming duel. Having witnessed his student's snarky attitude raised his own curiosity about the boy. The reports had no mention about this side of Tsuna, nor of the friendship he seemingly has with the school's prefect. Looks like he'll have to call both the Ninth and Iemitsu and tell them that their spies were completely useless. But later, after the duel.
Lunch could not come by any quicker. Barely did any of the students pay attention to their teachers' lectures, all lost in thought about the upcoming duel. Everyone was anxious, with the exception of 'Lazy Tsuna' who was once again taking a nap on his desk. When the bell rang to signal the beginning of lunch, everyone rushed outside to head towards the designated area.
Tsuna only yawned and stretched his arms after being woken up by Kyoko and Kurokawa Hana (another close friend he made through Kyoko). Not wasting any time, he told the two to go on ahead of him since he was going to go a different route. He opened one of the windows and jumped out, not particularly caring that Reborn might be watching him. He landed on the ground in a roll, stood up unharmed, and jogged his way towards the dueling area.
Nearing his destination, Tsuna whistled at the huge gathering. It almost seemed like the whole school was there. Poor Kyoya, having to endure all the crowding 'herbivores'. When the others noticed him, the large body of students parted like the Red Sea and formed a clear path for him to walk through. He entered the room and quickly spotted Mochida already in full gear. Despite the big crowd, and his earlier feelings, the captain seemed confident enough with his current situation.
Tsuna pinpointed his future guardians in the crowd, and they secretly nodded towards him. Takeshi gave him a thumbs up, Ryohei pumped up his fist, and Kyoya gave him a 'hurry up and beat this herbivore already so that I can start biting him to death' look. He even spotted Reborn at one of the high ledges...wait, was that a bag of popcorn in his hands? Leave it to Reborn to view this duel as nothing more than a show.
"So Sawada, you didnt' chicken out and hide somewhere after all," mocked Mochida as Tsuna stood at the opposite side of his opponent.
"And I'm surprised that you didn't decide to immediately tranfer schools after knowing the punishment you're in for when you lose, Sempai," Tsuna mocked back.
"Who says I'll be the one loosing Sawada? I'm the Kendo captain; you're just a novice. A novice never beats the strongest member. In this case, me!"
"Then I'll just have to prove that statement of yours false." Ignoring the shinai that was placed in front of him by two junior members (it didn't take a genius to know that it was weighted too heavy for him), Tsuna walked over to the other practice swords. Everyone stared as he started to test each one and tried to find the one that satisfied him. This caused Mochida to suddenly feel uneasy. After a few minutes of testing and swinging, Tsuna finally found the perfect one for his body structure.
"He-here's your armor Sawada-sempai," the two junior members said as they tried to lift up the armor from the ground. Tsuna glanced at the Dō (6) and snorted.
"Give me a lighter one. I don't care that your captain ordered you to give this one to me. Cheating like this has already earned him a beating by Hibari-san, and from what I can tell, he's already noticed." Gulping, the two members glanced at the prefect who narrowed his eyes at them. Squeaking in fear, the two hurried to get a lighter weighted Dō, fully ignoring their captain's sputtering. Tsuna glared at him accusingly.
Mochida gritted his teeth as sweat started to drop down his face. He should have known Sawada wasn't dumb enough not to notice the heavily weighted equiptment. Well at least he still had the judge on his side. No matter what happens, he won't raise Sawada's red flag.
The juniors came back with another armor, this time one that Tsuna accepted. It only took a couple minutes before the brunette was as equip as the Kendo captain. He took his stance and mocked grin the other.
"Ready when you are, Sempai. Oh, and to make this duel last, let's go for a 3 point match, and instead of the requirement for 2 points, we'll need to get ALL 3 points to win."
"Fine then. Now bring it, Sawada! You won't win!" Before the two even took a step towards each other, they were cut off.
"Hold it, Herbivores." Tsuna raised an eyebrow questionly. Mochida just all out froze, but was curious why the prefect had stopped them. Hibari walked up to the judge and brandished a tonfa at him. "You, Herbivore, I won't permit cheating during this duel. If you don't raise those flags when you're supposed to, I'll bite you to death." The now frightened judge quickly nodded. "And don't even try to fool me, I well know all the areas for point giving. You Herbivores can start now."
Mochida cursed in his head as his last hope for complete victory plunged down the drain. No matter, he'll still beat Sawada. He was Nami-chu's best Kendo player after all. No way could 'Sarcastic Tsuna' beat- he jerked back as he felt the tip of a shinai thrust near the front of his throat.
"Po-point to Sa-Sawada for hitting a tsu-tsuki-dare (7)," stuttered out the judge, mindful of the tonfa that was visible for everyone to see. Hibari just yawned. Hey he was missing his afternoon nap.
"C'mon Sempai, don't get distracted now," Tsuna taunted, everyone in the room looking at him in awe for getting the first point.
"You!" the captain growled as he aimed for a sho-men (8), but Tsuna blocked it just in time.
"Surely you could do better than that Mochida-sempai."
"I'll do more than better you brat!" And with precise accuracy, successfully got a migi-kote (9).
"Point for Mochida-Taichou! The score is 1 to1!" the judge happily raised his captain's flag. It was a no brainer who he was actually rooting for. Hibari was right to watch him closely or Sawada wouldn't end up getting even a single point.
"How'd you like that!" Mochida smirked as Sawada's eye twitched.
"Hmph, not bad," he grumbled. And for the next 5 mintues, both boys continued with their match, trying to get another point. Tsuna managed to get a sayu-men (10), but in the middle of one of his attacks, 'Clumsy Tsuna' made a brief appearance. He tripped over nothng and Mochida got his 2nd point via another sho-men.
"The score is tied 2 to 2. Last point wins," declared the judge, who was a lot calmer than earlier, seeing as Hibari hadn't 'bitten him to death' him so far.
This was it, the final round, and Tsuna was going to make sure he got in the first hit. He berated his clumsy side for gaining Mochida a point, but he couldn't do anything to change what had just happened. He looked towards Kyoko's direction to see a worried look on her face. If he didn't get in the last point, then Mochida will take her and get away from the punishment he deserves from Kyoya. There was no way he was going to let that happen! Hell would freeze over first! Narrowing his eyes in concentration, he and the captain rushed at each other. They parried each others blows for a few minutes before Tsuna found himself falling.
No! That bastard actually tripped him! Seeing the victorious smirk on his opponent who was about to get his last point, Tsuna saw red. A feeling of intense heat suddenly coursed throughout his being, making him feel as his whole body was on fire. But the fire did not burn nor make him feel pain. It felt warm, a familiar warmth he hadn't felt in a long time. A rush of power flooded him, and his eyes bordered between honey brown and golden amber. Catching himself in time, he found his target, and with inhuman speed and precision, slashed his shidai across Mochida's armor.
Time seemed to stand still for everyone as they tried to process on what just happened. Sawada had once again tripped, and they had expected Mochida to claim his final point, but in a blink of an eye, the brunette seemed to have disappeared and reappeared behind his opponent. The Kendo captain just blinked, and then to his amazed horror, his Dō started to crack before completely shattering. Everyone was rendered speechless.
Hibari only smirked at the outcome. It was only a little bit, but he clearly saw and felt the trickle of power coming off of the little carnivore. He eyed the 2 other future guardians and knew that they had felt it too, and the brunette didn't even need to have that ridiculous bullet shot at him for his flames to jump start. His anger at the Kendo captain's attempt at cheating had caused it to awaken. With the way Tsunayoshi was this time around, Hibari wondered if the Baby would still use the dying will bullet anytime soon. Noticing the judge hesitating to put up Tsuna's flag, he glared at him.
"Oi, Herbivore, raise Sawada's flag."
"Bu-but I di-didn't even s-see him hit the-the ca-captain!"
"Are you blind Herbivore? Your captain's armor broke, that's reason enough to know that Sawada had made contact with his shinai. And don't underestimate my eyes, I saw everything. He landed a clean migi-do (11), now raise his flag before I bite you to death!" Hastily, the judge raised the red flag.
"I-it's 3 to 2, with Sawada as the winner!" Silence. The person who broke it was none other than the loud boxing captain, Sasagawa Ryohei.
"UUUUURRRRAAAAAGGGGHHHH! SAWADA EXTREMELY WON!" Everyone around the boxing nut had to cover their ears to save themselves from going deaf. Next to him, Yamamoto just gave his signature laugh.
"Ha ha, you seem fired up Sempai."
"THAT'S BECAUSE SAWADA WON TO THE EXTREME! YO SAWADA, JOIN THE BOXING CLUB ALREADY!" Sadly, Ryohei's declaration was ignored as the other students started cheering loudly. Tsuna suddenly found himself overwhelmed with all his peers congratulating him on his win;
"That was awesome Sawada!"
"That last thing you did was amazing! How did you manage to pull it off!?"
"It felt good to watch Mochida finally lose to someone in Kendo."
"I have new-found respect for you Sawada! Can I call you Sempai even though I'm in a higher grade level?"
And so on.
"Tsuna-kun!" Tsuna turned and got an arm full of one Sasagawa Kyoko. Those who didn't believe the two about not having a romantic relationship (as well as those who didn't have a problem with thier relationship), whistled and cat called. The two ignored them though. "I was so worried that you were going to lose Tsuna-kun. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. You were incredible!" Seeing the bright smile on his 'sister's' face, Tsuna couldn't help but return it with one of his own. Oh no, looks like he slipped.
Seeing that smile gracing Sarcastic Tsuna's face left all those near him gapping in shock. The guys felt their cheeks start to heat up, and the girls looked ready to faint. That smile was just...illuminating, breathtaking, and oh so, so...beautiful. And also, were those sparkles and flowers floating around the two? Some felt like wanting to poke a flower, but were afraid that they'd ruin the scene.
"Herbivore." Ah, it seemed there was someone who wasn't afraid to break such an image of perfection. Tsuna's apathetic expression returned (much to everyone's disappointment) and looked at the prefect.
"Hibari-san?"
"You won the duel, so you get to escape your double punishment. However..." The next thing he knew, Tsuna felt one of Hibari's tonfas bonk the top of his head.
"I-itai!" he cried as he held his head in pain.
"That's for taking too long. Lunch is almost over, and I haven't had my afternoon nap yet."
"So-sorry," was Tsuna's only reply, inwardly rolling his eyes at the absurdity of his future Cloud Guardian's reasoning.
"And don't you dare roll your eyes at me Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"Ah, sorry!"
"Now then, all of you know that crowding is against the rules. You better leave the premises in 5 seconds before I start biting all of you to death! (no Mochida Kensuke, you stay where you are)" Hibari didn't need to finish his sentence before all the students started to move. Just hearing the words 'crowding' and 'against the rules' immediately got them running for their lives. Once the area was clear, he turned his attention to the Kendo captain, "your double punishment has gone up to triple the amount for daring to cheat in my presence. I hope you're ready to be bitten to death."
Mochida's painful screams could be heard throughout the whole school, and the students could only pray that he'll make it out alive...somehow.
Beady black eyes bore into pensive honey brown ones. The duel, as Reborn expected, was interesting and amusing to watch. He noted that Tsuna's strength was indeed average at best, and Reborn had started thinking about ways for his student to improve his body's condition. He also had to work with the occasionaly appearance of his clumsy side; tripping over his own feet and on the stairs he could understand, but even tripping over air? Unbelievable. But at least he wasn't a complete loss cause.
It was however, the ending of the duel that intrigued him the most. In the midst of being tripped by his opponent, Reborn felt a sudden shift in Tsuna's power. It was brief, but he saw it; just the tad faint glow of orange flames enveloping his entire body, and his eyes also teetered between brown and orange. The small amount of flames increased his speed into catching himself from falling, and then using it to quickly deliver a blow to Mochida's armor before the captain managed to respond back. Had he thought to use the dying will bullet then, he had a feeling that he would have seen something different happen than what the bullet would normally do.
"You did a good job, more than what I expected. Although, it seems that it isn't just in acedemics that you're holding back, you also have some experience in combat and not just in dodging blows." At the accusing tone, Tsuna sighed and held up his hands in defeat.
"I do know the basics in defending myself since I used to get bullied because I was too smart. As for knowing how to handle a shinai, one of my friend's family owns a dojo for Kendo practices. I was intrigued, so he taught me a little. Hey Reborn, aren't you going to tell me more about me becoming a mafia boss and why?" He yelped when the baby wacked him on the head, the same spot where Kyoya had hit him with his tonfa. Seriously, why there of all places?
"Don't change the subject 'Lazy Tsuna'! But I guess I can let that pass too."
"I don't see why'd you have to hit me when you were going to let it pass in the first place," he grumbled.
"Because I felt like it," was the blunt response.
Should have known thought Tsuna.
"As for why you were chosen, it's simply because you were our last option." Tsuna paused at that, his expression darkening a little.
"So I was merely the last resort?" he mused quietly. Reborn decided to ignore for now his students change of attitute and continued explaining. He thought it'll be best not to tell him about the dying will bullet just yet, as he wanted it to be a surprise.
"Correct. I was assigned by the 9th generation boss to come to Japan and raise you to become the Vongola's next leader."
"Vongola?" inquired Tsuna, pulling off a confused look through his stoic face. Reborn gave him an annoyed look.
"Vongola is the strongest and most influential mafia famiglia in the world. In terms of tradititon, rules, size, connections, and power, no other famiglia ever comes close to matching us. And stop interrupting me!"
"Sorry Reborn, go on."
"Vongola the 9th is getting old, and he was planning on passing on the boss status to the 10th generation." Here, the baby then brought out 3 pictures and explained each to him one at a time. His old self would have freaked out from such ghastly images, but now he only felt pure pity and sadness for each of them. And to think, Xanxus did all of this just so there wasn't anymore competition.
"But the most qualified of the 10 generaation, Enrico, was shot in a feud-"
"Hey, his leg looks oddly bent at this angle..." A tick mark appeared on Reborn's head.
"The young number 2, Matsumo, was drowned-"
"I don't see his feet, did they chop it off before throwing him in?" Another tick mark.
"The favorite child, Federico, was found reduced to bone-"
"He must have seriously pissed someone off - OW!" The hitman once again hit him on the same place as before. Really, why that spot of all places?
"Didn't I tell you to stop interrupting me? Your sarcasm right now is annoying."
"The pictures are so morbid that I thought to lighten up the mood."
"No one asked you to. Now would you let me finish?"
"Yes yes, go ahead." Reborn eyed him suspiciously to see if his student was lying to him. Seeing that he wasn't, he continued.
"So, seeing as all the other heirs were killed off, the only candidate left to be the 10th is you. And the reasoning behind that is due to your direct bloodline with the first Vongola boss. When he retired and handed the Vongola to the next don, he crossed over to Japan and started a family. He is your great great great grandfather, so you are a legitimate boss candidate."
"I..I've never heard about this before..." Tsuna spoke in a melancholy voice, his face going blank.
"Don't worry, I'll make you into a fine mafia boss," resssured the infant. He looked to his student to see him have a contemplative look. It was a lot of information to take in for sure, so he'll give the boy some time to think.
"Tsu-kun, Reborn-kun, dinner's ready!" called out Nana from the kitchen.
"We'll be down in a bit Okaa-san!" Tsuna automatically responded. He then turned to his home tutor. "Hey Reborn, please answer me this honestly."
"What is it?"
"Even though I'm only the last resort, I've already decided to embrace this new fate of mine wholeheartedly and with no complaints. I want to know, will you make me strong? Strong enough so that everyone can see that there was no mistake in choosing me as the next boss, strong enough so that no one can easily defy me when I give an order they do not like, and strong enough so that I can protect those that matter the world to me."
Reborn couldn't help but smirk at the determination that now burned in his student's eyes. They blazed with such a strong resolution that it was enough to make the hitman look in breathtaking awe. The hidden power trying to ooze out of the boy practically sang to him and gave him such an excited rush. Something was telling him in the back of his mind that Tsuna would become the best boss that Vongola would ever see since the time of its foundation.
"Who do you think you're talking to Lazy Tsuna? I'm the best hitman in the entire world. As your tutor, I'll make sure to make you the greatest and strongest boss in history! You can count on it!"
Tsuna's only response was giving Reborn one of the best smiles that he ever made.
To Be Continued...
He was here again in this dark place, the farthest and deepest depths of his mind. Tsuna turned to the figure he knew would still be there lying so still, so cold, and completely unresponsive. He floated to the body and proceeded to carress the pale face in a way a loving parent would a child. Pain and sadness filled his eyes at the man who neither was alive nor dead, but he knew that somewhere in that still body, the man was waiting; waiting for the power that would finally awaken him.
Tsuna opened his mouth, and a voice too deep and mature for his age resonated in the empty space.
"Soon, very soon. Please wait patiently until then...my dear Vongola Decimo." And if one were to see him now, they would witness the sight of Tsuna's eyes momentarily turn a light orange tone, and his hair, a golden blonde.
Author's Notes: Yes I'm finally done with the first chapter! I haven't typed such a long one in quite awhile. How did you like it? And that last part, I'm hoping you guys can guess a bit of my idea eh? Anyways, there's a lot of stuff going on here, so I'm going to explain some things to clear them up as best as I can.
First of all, Tsuna's close relationships before Reborn appeared. Know that everyone of them knows Tsuna is a hidden genius and has seen him smile at least once (excluding the present day Gokudera who has only seen Tsuna smile in a picture);
Hibari Kyoya: Childhood friend ; information gatherer for Tsuna in the happenings around Namimori ; Tsuna's sparring partner (mainly for target practice); Status: Secret
Yamamoto Takeshi: Childhood friend ; spy and information gatherer for Tsuna dealing with the happenings around Nami-chu students ; Status: Secret
Gokudera Hayato: Foreign penpal ; spy and information gatherer for Tsuna dealing with affairs and events in Italy ; Status: Semi-secret
Sasagawa Kyoko: Inseperable childhood friend ; little sister figure ; is responsible for starting any rumors Tsuna wants her to tell ; Status: Public
Sasagawa Ryohei: Childhood friend ; older brother figure ; usually plays decoy or runs interferance when Tsuna is in a troublesome situation ; Status: Public
Kurokawa Hana: Close friend ; spy and information gatherer for Tsuna dealing with the school club member committees; connected with her via Kyoko ; Status: Public
Kyoko and Hana don't know about the mafia. They follow Tsuna for their own reasons; for Kyoko he's another brother figure, and for Hana, it's out of respect for him. Kusakabe and the whole disciplinary committee follow him too, but only because of Hibari, but to them, Hibari will always come first.
Secondly, the bold numbers;
(1) Oyasumi means 'good night' in Japanese.
(2) Shinai is a practice weapon for usage in Kendo.
(3) Pon is a counter for narrow objects like pencils and hair. Ippon basically means getting a point in Kendo.
(4) Since Kyoko is also his childhood friend, and not to mention that he is very protective of things that he claims as his (whether objects or living beings), it's expected that he'd be pissed off about Mochida using her to incite Tsuna in agreeing to his challenge.
(5) Since Hibari's friendly relationship with him is secret, Tsuna will not call him Kyoya in public. Same thing with Takeshi. He would only call them by their first name when they are alone with him.
(6) Dō is the breastplated armor used in Kendo. It protects the torso.
(7) Tsuki-dare is an area of the head protector in front of the throat. It is one of the places to get a point.
(8) Sho-men is a point area to the top of the head protector.
(9) Migi-kote is another point area at the padded right side of the wrist protector.
(10) Sayu-men is another point area at either sides of the head protector.
(11) Migi-do is another point area at the right side of the breastplate armor.
All those Kendo terms I got from Wikipedia, and everyone knows Wikipedia is not always 100 percent accurate, but I'll place my faith in it for this. If there's some information I got wrong, then tell me in your reviews.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the changes you guys need to know dealing with the storyplot and of Tsuna's new attitude;
1) Since Tsuna is no longer associated with the nickname 'Dame-Tsuna', Reborn will treat him with a bit more respect and consideration. But that doesn't mean he'll stop trying to abuse him or give him a sort of punishment if Tsuna does something he doesn't like.
2) Tsuna's new 'official' nickname at school, as you've read, is 'Sarcastic Tsuna', due to his tendency to use sarcasm as a means to win arguements, point out the obvious, poke fun at someone, or basically just to piss someone off. I got the idea during Lal Mirch's interview with Haru where she said that one of COMSUBIN's teachings include delivering polite sarcasm to defeat enemies.
3) Tsuna doesn't truly smile for anyone except for those he is close to. He will sometimes slip up and offer a sample of his hidden smile with those caught unawares. He pretty much has an apathetic look on his face, similar to adult Flan. However, if you truely want to imagine his facial expression, think HDW Tsuna but without the orange eyes and the flame on his head.
4) How people feel about Tsuna, it's pretty much divided. Some are okay with him, some like him, some can't stand his sarcasm and personality, while some downright hate him for one reason or another. Those who complain about his relationship with Kyoko are usually her fanboys (and some fangirls) and those who think Kyoko's innocence will end up being 'corrupted' by Tsuna in the future.
5) As stated at the top, this story will follow with the manga plotline, so don't expect the filler episodes to appear here. So that means, no Arcobaleno trials and no Vongola Guardian trials, but yes to the Shimon arc and maybe also to the Representative Battle, but I'm not really sure about that one.
6) Lambo will still be stupid, but not as stupid as in the series. Don't worry, you'll spot the difference.
7) Haru, Kyoko, and Hana will play a more active role in this story, so they won't be completely useless (HINT: Flame power). Also, Haru will be less clingy and Kyoko will be less oblivious.
8) Nana will not be as oblivious as her counterpart in the series. She'll still be ignorant about the mafia, but will be suspicious.
I'm sure there's gonna be more, but for right now, that's enough...
And lastly, a question: I know I said that I'll follow the manga, but some of the daily life arc chapters seems pointless to me. Are there some chapters you wish for me to exclude, or should I just mention them briefly?
Please Read and Review!
Next: Raging Storm, Cleansing Rain