The closer they drove to wherever the hell they were going, the more Tsuna felt like crawling inside a hole. This lady was just crazy. Actually, crazy was too nice. She was fucking insane.

"I—I don't think any of them are…right, ma'am," Tsuna finally said, gulping when the woman pinned him down with a terrifying stare. "They're…too much for a child."

The woman scoffed. "Pathetic. If a child commits something wrong, do you cut off his tongue or sever his ears?"

Tsuna's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. "Wait, wait, wait, wait. Are you being serious right now?"

He flinched when the woman glared at him, her gray eyes darkening underneath the shadows. "Don't talk to me in that tone, boy," she said. "I can do much worse than cutting off your own tongue. Tsuyoshi might vouch for you but he cannot do anything against me."

Tsuna was going to die. That was it. He was going to fucking die and his brother was going to be all alone in the world with no one to lean on. Screw Tsuyoshi—he was dead to Tsuna now. They were all going to fucking die.

He gripped the edge of his seat, his nails digging into the thick leather, and prayed to any merciful god to spare him from this bizarre turn of events. Hell, was he dreaming? Did he just fall over the stairs and hit his head? Was this some sort of test of his faith?

"—are machines," the woman rambled on. Alberta, her name was Alberta. What a strange name, Tsuna vaguely thought. "An order is given and an order is then carried out," she continued. "That is how they should function. Anything else will only hinder their potential—"

Tsuna, honest to fucking God, just zoned her out. He was done, so done. He could kick the door open or something and make a run for it. Broken leg or not, he was going to get the hell away from this insane woman, come hell or high waters. But…

He mentally groaned. The kid, her kid. Tsuna wouldn't be lying if he was just a tad worried about her child. The way she talked set off way too many red flags and Child Services might have to get involved. He grunted when the car suddenly stopped. Alberta was still talking, not even seeing if he was listening, while Tsuna looked out the windows.

Oh, he was so fucked.

He didn't recognize the neighborhood. He didn't even know Namimori had mansions. Alberta's home was elegantly-styled, with tall white marbles, a stony driveway, and a fountain with a white shark statue sprouting from the center. Anything that involved expensive marble, sharks, and nice driveways spelled danger. Tsuna watched enough movies to know this by now.

He shrieked when Alberta literally kicked him out the open door. His face was cushioned by a pair of shiny leather shoes that belonged to the driver.

"I'm starting to think I got the wrong boy," Alberta sneered, stepping over him. Her long dress fluttered past his face, tickling his nose.

"Up we go, lad," the driver said, hoisting Tsuna up by the arm with ease. His accent was a bit weird but still understandable. The elderly man didn't let him go as he led him up the stairs. "Don't drag your feet. Come on. Best not to keep both of them waiting."

Tsuna blinked. "Both…?"

His breath hitched when the driver opened the large white, almost pale lavender, doors. How rich was this lady? Wine red carpets, brightly-lit chandeliers, oak dressers, long winding staircase—Tsuna was definitely dreaming. The air smelled like sweets, bread, and tea he couldn't identify but they were pleasant.

Alberta glanced at Tsuna in distaste from the corner of her eye. She had her arms crossed over her chest while she leaned on one leg. Tsuna turned away, blushing, when he noticed her dress hiking up her thigh. "We will discuss this further, I suppose," Alberta said, clicking her tongue. "My office is th—"

A growly, boyish voice suddenly came from above the stairwell. "Voi!"

Tsuna screamed from the sudden shout. He almost lost his footing if the driver hadn't had his grip on his arm. His eyes widened when he saw a young boy who looked like a carbon-copy of Alberta. With short silver hair and sharp, absolutely terrifying gray eyes, the boy wore some kind of all-white uniform and…was that a sword in his hand?

The boy pointed the thin blade at Alberta and spoke in the same foreign language she had in the car, "You hag! Who told you to bring trash inside the house?"

A vein popped in Alberta's forehead as she curled her hand into a fist. "What the hell did you say, you damn brat?"

Tsuna had no idea what they were saying but all he could do was scream when the boy leapt from the stairs and pulled his arm back, preparing to strike his own mother with his blade. In a whirl of quick movement, Alberta unsheathed a fucking dagger from her very exposed thigh, which had a black sheath strapped to it, and blocked her son's strike. She smirked. "You still have much to learn, brat."

The boy gritted his teeth. "Shut the hell up, you ugly hag!"

"How dare you talk to your mother that way!" Alberta twisted her dagger to disarm the boy's sword, but he followed the movement and managed to escape her clutches. She chuckled lowly, tossing her dagger up and down in her hand. "You think a small trick like that will get you anywhere. Come, fight me like a man!"

"Voi!"

Tsuna could only watch, horrified, as the two sprinted towards each other and clashed blades. He took a small step back, itching for the door, when the driver tapped his shoulder. "Would you like tea or juice, lad?" the man said in Japanese. Not even the sound of Tsuna's own language calmed his nerves. "Or perhaps water?"

"I—I—"

Several loud crashes came from the dining room. Then glass shattered against the floor, making Tsuna flinch. "…does this…happen often…?" he managed to say weakly.

The driver (or butler, Tsuna didn't know), with his stupid, expressionless face, merely nodded. "It wouldn't be normal if it didn't," he said. "Our expenses mostly go to renovations and repairs."

Was that supposed to make Tsuna feel better?

The teen just stared hopelessly at the carnage left behind Alberta's wake. Torn walls, ripped carpets, broken chandeliers and glass—this had to be a dream.

"Voi! You're getting slow, hag!"

"Get over here so I can cut your disgusting tongue, you little wretch!"

Yeah…

This was way above Child Services…


A/N Squalo has appeared!

The white outfit he's wearing is his fencing uniform and the sword he has is a fencing blade, very thin, and not really functional for actual combat but he's Squalo and this is KHR, so anything still kind of goes. :^D

Thank you for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny