New chapter! I'm just getting started on developing the plot, so... Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own KHR. (Akira Amano is the genius, not me.)
One cannot describe the pain a baby hitman can indent.
This was the case for a boss-in-training, now breathing heavily from Reborn's wicked tendencies.
A disheveled looking Tsuna staggered up the stairs to her room, shakily reaching out for the door in exhaustion.
It had been about a week since her tutor decided to call the Sawada residence his temporary home. Well, maybe.
The day started with the Mafioso waking up the unlucky teen at five in the morning, forcing her to run seven laps around the neighborhood and throughout Namimori.
While dodging deadly bullets from his trusty gun and jumping from unexpected explosions.
Which is why Tsuna had a serious problem standing up straight.
The poor girl lied her scrawny body gently down on her bed, sore from the bruises and scrapes Reborn had given to her as some sort of 'gift' due to training.
Her classmates at school had noticed Tsuna's new injuries, but dismissed it as being caused by the bullies that have taunted her.
Letting out a weak sigh, the boss candidate recalled the day before, where the events flowed out like water in her memory.
-Flashback-
Tsuna began sprinting out of the house in fear of Reborn punishing her for walking to school, instead of pushing herself.
'Hiiiieee! I'm gonna be late for school!,' her mind yell out, only half a minute left until the bell rang for class.
Just as she arrived on school grounds, everyone inside the building got seated for attendance once the bell rang.
Before Tsuna could even enter a foot on Namimori Middle, the feared prefect of the Disciplinary Commitee blocked her path, tonfas at his side.
"For being late to class, I'll bite you to death, herbivore," Hibari Kyoya growled, glaring at the girl with steel-blue eyes.
Tsuna squeaked out a "Sorry, Hibari-san!," before backing up from an incoming tonfa.
The deadly weapon scratched her left cheek in the process.
"Hn."
This fight continued on for a couple of minutes.
Mostly based on Hibari whipping his steel tonfas at the herbivore, who only tried to find an opening to escape this mess of a morning.
That's when a voice decided to interrupt their mini battle.
"Ahahaha! Sorry I'm late, I overslept!"
Hibari switched his glaring eyes over to the owner of the voice.
He had stopped himself midway from swiping a hard blow at the brunette.
The girl took this opportunity as a chance to dash into the building, when the scary prefect gave her a stern scowl that clearly stated, 'Stay put, female herbivore.'
Tsuna gulped and immediately stood still.
She didn't want to anger Hibari more than he already was.
The figure that had called out to them approached the two Nami-chuu students.
It was a tall male student with tanned skin and spiky, black hair.
He grinned as though he never noticed their small fight, or how overly irritated Hibari had become upon taking a glance at him.
Tsuna stared at the boy in mild concentration. She somehow recognized him...
"Male herbivore, sleeping in is not an excuse for being late to school. You will also be bitten to death."
"Ahaha! I said sorry, didn't I?"
The petite brunette sweatdropped. How carefree and naïve was this guy?
The Disciplinary leader observed the tall boy for a moment, then responded with his own answer in mind.
"You are Yamamoto Takeshi. A member of the baseball team. First-year. Class 1-A."
Tsuna's heart momentarily skipped a beat.
"Ahaha! Yup, that's me!," Yamamoto replied, rubbing the back of his head shamelessly.
This person was in the same class as her!
Now she remembered.
He was one of the most popular boys in Namimori Middle. Plus, the top-notch star of the baseball team.
Girls of all middle school years would constantly gush about him, talking about his looks, skills, personality... And so on.
Despite his cheerful and air-headed demeanor, everyone respected and admired him.
All Tsuna could do was watch well-liked students from afar.
So this was new to see the baseball idol tardy for class... Not to mention, standing right in front of her.
"Oh! You're that girl in my class that sits a couple of rows from me! What's your name again?"
Disconnecting from her thoughts, the girl well-known as 'No-Good Tsuna' turned to stare at Yamamoto, startled by the abrupt response. He was actually speaking to her-
"Sawada Tsunayoshi. A fellow herbivore I was busy biting to death before you came here," Hibari spoke out nonchalantly, in a matter-of-factly tone.
A strong carnivore like him would be tired and bored of chatting with herbivores who can never become an omnivore.
Tsuna seemed depressed by the truthful fact.
Her hopes in aiming a good first impression for Yamamoto ceased to exist.
The prefect, however, had other matters in mind.
Causally turning to the side, away from the herbivores, Hibari swiftly walked away, his Nami-chuu jacket flowing gracefully upwards, secure on his shoulders.
"Herbivores. If you aren't on time for school again, I will bite you to death and send you to the hospital. Such behaviour is forbidden in Namimori," he warned coldly over his shoulder, his presence vanishing from sight.
The two first-years remained standing outside the building, getting the message.
But not for one certain baseball star.
"Ahahaha! This guy sure loves his town and this school, doesn't he?," Yamamoto spoke out happily, not even going over the brief caution he received.
The brunette shivered. She did not want to face the violent Disciplinary leader and cause trouble for the second time. She was going to have to make plans waking up early.
While dealing with her harsh spartan tutor.
These thoughts were enough to allow Yamamoto to notice their current situation.
"Ah! We should get back to class, Tsuna-chan!"
The girl snapped back to attention. He had called out to her... With a nickname only her mother used to discuss her.
"M-me?," she asked. Her cheeks flamed red with shyness and sudden embarrassment.
Yamamoto took the hint and corrected his mistake.
"Is it okay if I name you that? Sorry, I didn't mean to say that out of nowhere."
"Uh... I-it's okay... Y-you can use that."
The boy grinned, his teeth glowing from the warm sun rays.
"That's great! Hope we could be friends!"
The brunette couldn't believe this. Was it all a dream? This is such a surprise.
A pinch of dizziness slowly perched up to Tsuna. No way. Yamamoto and her... Friends?
"Ready to go in, Tsuna-chan?," the baseball star asked, waiting for her in front of the school's entrance.
A decision officially formed - Tsuna would take the chance opening up to the popular student.
Her lips curled up into a bright smile. "Sure," she replied.
Nodding in acceptance and anticipation, Yamamoto and his new companion proceeded walking into the building and through the halls, to their destination.
The boss candidate was secretly blooming with excitement and gratefulness.
Maybe being late to school wasn't so bad, after all.
Unbeknownst to them, a certain fedora-wearing baby watched from a cherry blossom tree, smirking and drinking espresso in amusement.
-End Flashback-
That had only been yesterday, but Tsuna couldn't help but giggle and smile at the moment.
Though, after both of them had entered the room and bowed to the teacher in apology for their tardiness, all of Yamamoto's fangirls wouldn't stop glaring at her during the lesson.
As usual, they surrounded and backed her into an empty corridor when lunch break rolled around.
The girls had confronted and ridiculed her, their hatred and some sparks of jealousy displayed in their eyes.
"How dare you get so close to him!"
"A stupid girl like you can never hang out with the school's baseball star. Much less, date him."
"Date? Yuck! This loser isn't worthy to date."
"Especially with our idol."
"That's right! This is Dame-Tsuna we're talking about."
"Listen closely. You better back off, and never put your filthy hands on Yamamoto-kun. He doesn't want you near him. Disgusting whore."
The brunette's eyes had rimmed with tears. She couldn't stand the insults the bullies would throw at her. Their cruel remarks stung like needles being stabbed into her skin.
"Leave her alone. She didn't do anything."
The mean fangirls paused from picking on Tsuna and turned toward the intruder in defense.
"Shut up! We're busy he-..." The leader of the group froze and blushed furiously at the person standing before them. The rest did the same, ashamed.
Tsuna's expression turned rigid in shock, holding her breath in desperation and a mix of relief.
There standing was the one and only Yamamoto Takeshi, once again emerging to the brunette's rescue twice in a row.
Much to her surprise, his usual cheeky smile was not visible on his face, instead replaced with a frown.
"Ya-Yamamoto-kun! It's good to see you!"
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah... We were just talking with Dame-Tsuna here... It wasn't anything speci-"
The tan-skinned boy narrowed his eyes at the group. "I know better than that. I'm not that dumb."
Straightening their posture and bowing deeply, the fangirls shouted in unison, "Of course, Yamamoto-kun!"
Their adored idol stood his ground and ordered, "Then leave if you understand."
Immediately, the bullies dispersed and ran from the corridor, casting glares at Tsuna as they disappeared down the hall.
However, the girl hadn't known how to react. Tears were rolling down her pale cheeks, releasing the pain that she had hidden from within her.
"I... I'm sorry... And thank you.. F-for he-helping me..," she muttered.
The baseball star lightly patted her back in comfort.
"Don't worry. You're safe now. I've been looking for you everywhere. When I found you here with those girls, I had to do something."
Tsuna looked up into the eyes of her new friend. He actually cared about her.
He wanted to hang out with her.
He was willing to talk to her.
He hadn't cared about her imperfections or ever made fun of it. A popular guy like him saw her as a regular student, trying to fit in and doing her best in daily lessons.
This kindness he gave her... Felt important. Like a blessing.
A smile appeared on Yamamoto's face.
"Come on, I know a good place to eat lunch." He began walking in a different direction, glancing at Tsuna and gesturing her to follow him.
She hesitated for a moment, then said to Yamamoto in a confident voice, "Can I call you Yamamoto-kun? ... If you don't mind."
The baseball star laughed, seemingly joyful at the question. This reassured Tsuna greatly, feeling warmth bubble inside.
"I don't mind at all! No problem! Everyone calls me by that, so why not? We're friends, after all."
Tsuna blinked at the word 'friends.' She was never able to find anyone close with in elementary and her entrance in middle school.
This would be the first time she, Dame-Tsuna, finally found someone to converse with and get to know in her lifetime.
"GUH!"
Reborn cocked his chameleon-formed gun in front of Tsuna's face, who tried to back away, the baby still standing firmly on her stomach.
"Dame-Tsuna, this isn't the time to take a nap. It's already afternoon. Get your weak body out of the house and go shopping with Maman," the scary tutor said, his gun pressing against Tsuna's forehead.
Just a few hours ago, Reborn had tested multiple ways getting his useless student to wake up, and earlier methods had backfired or were not effective.
His attempts in awaking her included producing loud noises, such as using a fog horn or throwing a grenade outside.
That hadn't worked, so he had decided to bring in his barrage of weapons from his suitcase.
He had also used tasers, laser guns, stun guns, matches, insects, a bucket of cold water, boiled water, needles, a hammer, several other weapons imported to him from Italy... And much, much more.
Slapping Tsuna in her sleep hadn't seemed to work either, so he used the last trick he had in his sadistic mind - jumping and kicking her stomach. Hard.
Satisfaction had seeped into him as he observed the girl awake instantly. He should practice this method on her often.
On the other hand, the brunette groaned and went through the sore pain that surged through her body.
It felt as if someone had stabbed her a thousand times, and strangely, her drenched clothes stuck to her skin. Wait a minute... Were those burn marks...?
Her orange shirt had turned black and was horribly torn apart. The same problem occurred with her gray pants.
Suddenly, a throb appeared on her head, causing the girl to touch it in agony.
Only to realize... What she touched was a swollen bump protruding at the side of her head.
Her brown hair stuck up in all directions, static when her skin made contact with it.
Tsuna also gained a new set of injuries, bruises and cuts lining themselves on areas of the skin that were visible on her arms and legs.
Everything about this situation sunk into Tsuna's brain.
She glanced at the hitman, who remained on her stomach, warily.
He grinned and pointed at a stack of objects beside the table. Tsuna looked over, fearing the worst.
A gasp escaped from her lips. Reborn did not just-
"That's right. You wouldn't wake up on time, so I put these weapons and devices into good use. Though they weren't as effective in disrupting your sleep, I had fun trying every single one of them on you."
The Mafioso smirked, amused at his student's overall reaction.
"REBORN! Were you trying to kill me while I was asleep?," Tsuna yelled, frustrated of her home tutor's tactics.
"You sound like you've just been through a coma, Tsuna."
"Ehh? That's not the point!"
"You should learn the difference between getting someone's eyes to open, or keeping them shut forever."
"Hiie! D-don't say it like that! That's a creepy explanation!"
"It's true. Now change your clothes and get out of here, Dame-Tsuna. Maman is waiting for you downstairs, I'm sure of it."
The brunette huffed out in annoyance, sensing the hitman ending the conversation.
She quickly got ready and headed for the door before Reborn could throw a pipe bomb at her.
This was always a result when she didn't get out of her bedroom fast enough.
At the bottom of the stairs, Nana happily smiled up at her daughter, excited to go shopping for the day with her only child.
"Tsu-chan! Let's go find some cooking ingredients for lunch and dinner! We wouldn't want to spend the weekend hungry, do we?," Nana said merrily.
"Yeah, I know, Mom," Tsuna replied, sighing at her mother's enthusiastic expression.
And so, the two young women set off for Namimori's shopping district.
The day was clear and sunny as the birds chirped a happy tune in the midst of the windswept trees. Everything felt peaceful and light as they crossed a street toward the town's many stores and buildings.
Tsuna hadn't visited the busy district since last month, where she would be completing her mother's errands from time to time.
The Sawada household was quiet and lonely before Reborn entered the picture.
Because of the hitman, the brunette no longer had the need to hole up in her bedroom for hours on end.
Her spartan-of-a-tutor had basically cracked her shell of darkness and gloom. His company somehow soothed her feelings of life in general.
Despite her constant whining and groaning from gruesome training, Tsuna was relatively relieved her wishes in becoming stronger and smarter were slowly coming true.
Nana was practically overjoyed when a 'guest' decided to stay as a resident in their small household. A family will once more form for the business widow and her daughter, in place for her absent husband.
The both of them stepped into a slightly crowded supermarket, customers hustling for cashier aisles and quickly grabbing supplies to drop into a full cart of items.
"Oh, my. It seems they're having a sale on everything in this supermarket," Nana said thoughtfully, resting her palm under her chin.
Her cute little daughter, however, thought otherwise.
"Maybe we should check out the other stores...," Tsuna anxiously advised, looking around the tight atmosphere of giddy shoppers.
Nana pouted. "It's alright, Tsu-chan. We still have enough time to buy the ingredients for our meals. And Reborn-kun is awaiting our arrival back home. He always enjoys the food I prepare for him.~"
Tsuna could only pale at the statement. It was amazing how fond the baby could be when it came to her mother.
And how quickly it took for him to suddenly begin calling her Maman in less than a week since his stay in Japan.
If only the Mafioso gave some respect for his no-good student...
No. The boss candidate shook her head. The dream was impossible to come to life, no matter how much training she did, nor how smart she would become.
The only way it would be possible was if she succeeded turning into a boss everyone in the Mafia underworld looked up to.
But the girl made a goal to stay humane and normal, not make loads of power such as leading a strong Family like the Vongola.
Before she could think any further, she returned to reality and found herself outside the packed supermarket.
Needless to say, the boss candidate hadn't realized she had walked all the way to the exit to stand near the entrance. Her mother was purchasing groceries from inside the market.
She scratched the back of her head in confusion. Since when did she get here?
Running footsteps were heard before the brunette could wander off into her mind of thoughts.
A male appearing from a corner was running across the sidewalk, panting, and tripping over his own feet.
He was heading straight to where Tsuna was standing.
... Wait, what?
The next thing she knew, the stranger collided head first into her, each of them tumbling painfully on to the ground below.
"Ouch!"
"Gah!"
Tsuna and the mysterious person sprawled awkwardly near the supermarket, clutching their heads in discomfort.
The brunette, for the umpteenth time of the day, groaned like karma had come back to bite her.
Why, oh why, did this weekend have to turn so awful, besides training?
All she wanted to do was walk through the streets of Namimori with her mom, relaxing with no surprises coming her way.
But her luck had decided to betray and leave her... How sweet.
The male got off the ground first, brushing his clothes from dirt and rubbing his sore head from the accident.
His looks were that of a foreigner, and he seemed to appear in his early stages of adulthood.
The guy's hair was blonde and messy, cowlicks sticking out in all directions from his head. His eyes were a shade of deep hazelnut.
All in all, his features enhanced his flawless face, making him a handsome boy.
The foreigner checked over the unfamiliar area until his eyes caught sight of a slightly dazed, fluffy-haired brunette.
Worried and shocked, he jogged over to the girl and bent down to lend her a hand.
"I'm so sorry, ma'am! Are you alright?," he asked in fluent Japanese, anxiety clear in his panicked voice.
Tsuna sorely looked up at the stranger, too tired to feel anger well up in her.
A different emotion sprung up from her heart, however, once she took one glance at the boy.
"Here, let me help you up," the blonde foreigner offered.
He lifted Tsuna from the ground by slinging her right arm neatly on his shoulders.
The girl blushed.
She never expected a stranger, who she promptly slammed heads with on the street, to make contact with her like this.
"Ah, uhm-"
"Oh! You can stand, right?"
The stranger let go of Tsuna's arm once she set to a standing place.
The foreigner flashed her a suave smile, as a sign of greeting.
This only caused Tsuna's heart to beat rapidly. This aura of charm overwhelmed her greatly.
"Boss! Where are you?"
A tall man dressed in a black suit with a moustache and glasses ran from across the street, darting his eyes wildly in desperation.
The boy's eyes automatically snapped up in alert. Beads of sweat were pouring down both sides of his face.
"Gotta go!," the blonde cried, briefly waving to the brunette before dashing out on the street in a hurry.
Leaving Tsuna puzzled and even more dazed than the headbutt she received.
What was that all about, anyway? And did that man just say... Boss?
She was definitely hearing things. Tsuna decided to search for her mother in the market before any more hectic problems got out of hand.
A rasping sound was heard when the brunette approached the entrance.
She glanced down, scared of what was to come. But stopped moving at the sight of the small shape.
A turtle laid before her, wriggling about and snapping its mouth mechanically.
So cute, Tsuna thought. Who would abandon such an adorable, vulnerable creature?
Bending down, Tsuna gently picked up the reptile, and with her fingertips, she petted its head in light sweeping motions against its head.
The tiny reptile seemed to like it, because it rubbed against Tsuna's fingertips happily.
The girl smiled. She would be keeping this precious animal until the owner was found.
"Tsu-chan!," Nana called out, exiting the supermarket with grocery bags in both of her hands.
The brunette quickly brought the turtle behind her, afraid of her mother suspecting what she was doing with it.
"Let's go home now. The errand is now finished. We can all eat the meals I cook! I have all the supplies and ingredients for them. Isn't that great?," Nana babbled, her bright smile never dimming from her face.
Tsuna only responded with a nod, excited to take the reptile home with her. Now all she had to do was avoid Reborn discovering her new pet.
As she walked out of the shopping district with her mom by her side, the small creature resting in her left pocket, Tsuna replayed the scenes that underwent outside the supermarket.
For some reason, she developed a desire in seeing the foreigner for another time. It bothered her that she did not thank the boy for his kindness, and curiosity filled her up like cream filling.
Another thought popped up in the no-good girl's brain. What if... She gained a crush on the stranger? Was that even okay?
Tsuna shrugged the idea off. Sure, he was handsome, but maybe the boy already had a girlfriend...
There was no time thinking of such subjects for Tsuna. In the meantime, determination showed. She was ready to give the turtle she obtained the love and care it deserved.
It was better to not remember the foreigner at all. She would not be seeing him anytime soon in this town.
Oh, how wrong she always is.
Little did she know the events evolving behind the scenes by a certain mischievous hitman baby.
Thank you for the reviews, favorites, alerts, follows... that sort of stuff you see on Fanfiction! I decided to write this chapter extra long to make up for the short first chapter. I hoped you like this! And I hope I didn't disappoint you!
It was better that she met Yamamoto and Hibari early... You already know the mystery person by now, don't you?
I have been busy with exams and homework, so sorry it took so long for me to upload! See you in the next chapter! Ciao~