Heeeere's Chapter 3!
Warning: 2772 Tsuna/Natsu Twincest. Swearing. - reason for the 'T' rating.
Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.
Also, I re-uploaded chapter two, for an edit that needed to be done. For those of you who don't want to re-read the whole chapter for one mistake, I really just changed one half of a sentence while Reborn was talking to Nono and Iemitsu. It has no real barring on the chapter as a whole. Thank you for for pointing out that plot hole!
About 4 months after their mother's unfortunate passing, the twins received a laptop from their grandparents for their birthday, and Tsuna had all but fallen in love with it. Less than a week and Tsuna had mastered the use of it and Natsu felt it was pretty much his brother's more than theirs. Tsuna had always loved reading, so when he had stumbled across a page that was all about how to hack, Tsuna all but devoured it. Self-taught, Tsuna became a hacker; perhaps not the best in the world, or Japan for that matter, but he felt that he was pretty decent if not average.
That one fateful morning Tsuna had been just finishing up making his and his brother's lunches when he got a notification from a friend in Italy, telling him that they didn't know why, but the hit-man Reborn was on his was to Namimori, and that 27 had better look out. Tsuna had smile at the note and thanked his friend, letting her know that all would be alright. At least Tsuna assumed it was a 'her'. She called herself 'The Princess' so...
So Tsuna up-ed the security on the main door, adding in the finger print scanner as a lest second thought. It wasn't real, but it did have a self re-locking timer on it. So after 5 seconds without anyone opening the door, the door re-locked itself. It should give the hit-man pause, and Tsuna long enough to watch. It wasn't like the Reborn was there for them after all. They were just two practically orphaned twins... who's father was an ass...
Natsu had left earlier for basketball practice before classes, so Tsuna had time on his own to think it through. For about 2 months now, Tsuna had known about his semi-royal heritage from his father's side, but he honestly couldn't care less about it. No, it was the man's ties to the mafia that Tsuna was angry about. He wasn't sure why he was so mad about it, but he was, and even worse, how was he to tell Natsu? Should he even tell him?
On the way to school, Tsuna noticed all the extra camera's on their rout, and realized the killer wasn't here to kill him specifically, but instead for something else. Tsuna narrowed his eyes in thought, was the killer here for them? There was a new camera in the front lobby of their building, too, and another just outside the front entrance, and at least 3 more that Tsuna could see in passing. But... why target them? Or was this their father's doing?
Tsuna sighed as he sat down at his seat, thinking that this was too much thinking for one morning, and instead listened to all the whispers around him.
"Omg, is dame-Tsuna really here today?"
and,
"Why? He'll just fail and not come back again for another few weeks."
and, louder than the rest,
"So pathetic, he's ruining his brother's reputation. Just stay home, and never come out again."
Tsuna sighed again, and opened his text book to do a little light reading before class started, once again ignoring the new rush of insults that came his way. Yes Tsuna was hacker genius smart, and if he really wanted to, he could already be in advanced high school classes. But he didn't want to. He wanted Natsu to be perceived as the smarter, better twin, because that way Tsuna could hide nicely in his shadow, never to be seen again. Tsuna looked up just as the door opened to the classroom and the class star, also known as the other half to Tsuna's whole, came strutting in, swarming with girls on either arm, his bag being carried like some treasure made of gold by a girl who probably thought that this would be that best day of her life.
Natsu looked around the classroom, gave a happy shout of 'Tsuna!' and began almost viciously tearing at the hands on his arms, grabbing his bag from the girl who's 'Best day of her life' bubble was suddenly burst.
"Tsuna! I didn't think you'd make it in today!" the sport's maniac sang as he got closer. He stopped to glare at the student in the desk ahead of Tsuna and all but threw him to the floor to take his seat. "Here," he said dryly and handed over the other student's bag, dropping it to the floor the moment the kid reached for it. "Thanks for switching with me." Natsu regained his smile as he sat backwards on the seat to face Tsuna.
"Well, I can't let my brother go without his lunch, now can I?" Tsuna said in reply to his brother's earlier words.
"My... Lunch?"
"Yes, your lunch. You were in such a rush this morning to leave after you woke up late, that I didn't get a chance to finish making your lunch before you were out the door, so I came to school today to bring it to you. Maybe I'll stay the whole day, maybe I'll leave early. Who knows?"
The two of them shared a laugh as the rest of the class scrambled to their seats with the bell chiming in the back ground.
"Alright! Sit in your seats and lets begin class!" Nezu-sensei all but shouted over the student's voices, and Natsu turned to properly face the front of the class. "Ah, Sawada Tsunayoshi. I'd like to say it's good to see you, but lying in front of actual students is bad."
The class, minus a seething Natsu, giggled.
"Ah, Nezu-sensei, I'd like to say that it's good to see you too, but I pity how ugly you are too much to lie to you." Tsuna grinned and Natsu laughed outright, turning to high five his brother. Tsuna gave into the childish gesture and returned it with an innocent smile. Grumbling, the man began the lesson.
At about 10:30 Tsuna's phone went off with a silent buzz in his pocket. He smirked. Who wouldn't? Their 'guest', should the infamous killer really be there for them, had arrived and was trying to use the front door. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and laid it on his desk, putting in the headphone to listen in on the hit-man, provided if he actually made noise. He watched the killer's confusion about the finger print scanner for another minute or so before Reborn gave up and walked away, probably to go to the school to confront the boys there instead and follow them home.
"Sawada!"
Tsuna and Natsu both flinched at the loud voice and looked at their teacher. Nezu was standing over Tsuna with what could only be described as barely concealed joy as he said,
"Sawada Tsunayoshi, watching a show on your phone in my class? Why would you do that? Did you want to be sent to the principal? Because that's where you're going. Now."
Tsuna smiled and said, "With the utmost pleasure," and started to stuff his bag with his things, grabbing Natsu's bento while his hand was in there.
"Here." he said standing and sliding the food onto Natsu's desk. "I'll see you after practice?"
"Yeah..." Natsu pouted. "Do you have to go?" Tsuna smiled and squeezed his brother's shoulder before jerking his thumb over at the teacher, "Do you think I got a choice?" Natsu grumbled out a feeble little no, and Tsuna couldn't resist running his hand through his brother's hair. With a big, shit-eating grin Tsuna turned to walk away.
"Wipe that smile off your face." Nezu sneered.
"Only if you pull that stick out of your ass." Tsuna countered, turning at the door and giving the teacher a wink. "Or did I push it in too far last night?" he laughed evilly as he bounced out the room, listening to the man's shriek of rage.
Tsuna skipped out on going to the principal, and instead left the grounds to go home, narrowly avoiding certain death by a certain perfect. Looking down at his hand, Tsuna was of two minds about what he'd done. He had slid his hand through Natsu's hair, and they had decided that that was an act that was 'more than brotherly' and therefore shouldn't be done outside of their home. On the other hand, it had felt so right, like silk falling through his fingers. Like his hand was made solely to be tangled in that hair. It was a feeling Tsuna knew he could get addicted to, and that was why he had made it clear to Natsu that they shouldn't do it.
Because if anyone found out about the two of them, then they may not ever get to see each other again, the government would tear them apart. They would be forced into therapy and Tsuna knew that they'd be able to brainwash Natsu into believing that what they had was wrong.
And maybe it was wrong, Tsuna wasn't sure. After all, they were brothers. Twin brothers, and kissing and holding each other like they did... but it just felt so right. Tsuna felt like he was born with his soul mate at his side.
"What are you doing out of school?"
"HIIIII!" Tsuna practically jumped out of his skin as the voice came from his shoulder, and he leaped back in an instinctive measure to get away from the sudden danger. The teen landed on his butt in the ally way, looking at the small, yet larger-than-life killer, Reborn. "Well that was an interesting noise, Sawada Tsunayoshi. But it's not an answer, so I'll ask it one last time; what are you doing out of school."
With his back literally to the wall, there wasn't much Tsuna could do at this point. And while that last sentence was phrased like a question, there was no doubt that it was a threat. The threat that Tsuna wouldn't like what would happen if he didn't tell the hit-man everything, now. So, he told the killer the truth.
"I was kicked out of class and sent to the principal and the disciplinary head, for disturbing the class during teaching. So I skipped that part and just decided to head home." Tsuna pulled every bit of worried caution to the forefront of his mind, lowered his chin slightly and continued, "What about you? Arcobaleno Reborn, what are you doing this far out of Italy?"
"Natsume-kun, why is your brother like that?" Nezu-sensei sighed, shaking his head. It was lunch time and he was just leaving the room, but the man couldn't help asking the question on his way out. Natsu sighed and didn't answer. The man left and the popular twin found himself suddenly surrounded by peers; a vast majority of which were girls he had no interest in. One of said squeaky preteens spoke up.
"Actually, I want to know why your brother is like that too. He's totally ruining your reputation." before she could continue to press on, one of the boy's on Natsu's left said,
"What I wanna know, Natsume, is why your personality changes when he's around."
Natsu blinked and looked at the boy who had spoken. "...what?" others around him started blinking at Natsu questioningly.
"You... didn't notice?" one girl ventured.
"No? I mean... What do you mean 'my personality changes'?" the basketball fanatic was given a rather blank look.
"...you bodily picked up another student and threw him out of his chair, just so you could sit next to your brother."
Natsu responded with an equally blank stare, "Isn't that normal?"
"No, Natsume, no that is so not normal."
"And you literally clawed at my hands so you could get to him faster." the first girl piped back up.
"And you totally broke two of my nails taking your bag back from me." another said, holding out her poor hand for the world to check out. And it was true; one of them was dried with a speck of blood. Natsu winced and gave a sympathetic "ow" before he went back to his bento.
"But I still have no idea what you guys are talking about." Natsu really wasn't unaware of his personality shifts when it came to his brother. He couldn't help it though, there was something about Tsuna that just brought it out of him. He needed to be right beside the other. Leaving for school everyday was hell on his mentality, the only upsides being the kisses he gets when he leaves and comes home, and the joy he gets from basketball in-between.
"So, on a completely different topic," a different girl said, trying to diffuse the thick tension rising in the classroom, "Where did you get that bento? It looks homemade. Did your grandma make it?"
While most people knew about Nana's death, few had any idea about their lives with out her. Natsu didn't think there was anyone in his class that knew that technically, the twins were in their grandparents care, since Iemitsu wasn't willing to move back to Namimori, or take the twins with him to Italy.
He shook his head, both to dissipate the depression he could feel settling in his brain, and to answer the girl's question. "Nah. Tsuna made it. He's pretty awesome in the kitchen. You should taste his western style roast, or any of the pastries he makes." Natsu smiled ruefully. "He picked up a lot from mom before..." 'crap...' his smile dropped at the memory he accidentally brought up, and he went back to eating.
Apparently feeling the sudden tension all but quadruple, his peers began their own conversations around the now sulking young teen. And Natsu was OK with that, because none of these people were his friends. They were only his admirers, they ignored his shortcomings so long as he had skills as an athlete. He could feel the stares he was "discreetly" getting from the other popular-for-his-skills-athlete Yamamoto Takeshi, but he ignored them.
Right now, Natsu needed to calm his rapidly degrading thoughts and focus on finishing his bento so he could do school work, and skip practice to go home faster. He needed his brother's calming words and his soothing touch. He needed his brother to tell him he was OK.
He needed Tsuna.
Reborn sighed. This cheeky brat was hardly worth his effort, but he couldn't stop himself from landing one well-aimed kick to the boy's head. He needed to be reminded who he was talking to, after all. Leon jumped down onto the unconscious heap of cheeky brat to make sure the damage wasn't permanent, before hopping back up on Reborn's hand.
"Well, now what?" With a little lizard-like shrug, Leon transformed in Reborn's hand into a water gun. Giving a shrug of his own, the hitman turned the gun toward Tsuna and sprayed his face.
Nothing. Not even a twitch. Reborn scowled and grumbled to himself, blaming his self-control for this whole fiasco. Stifling another sigh, Reborn jumped up on the boy's hip and made himself comfortable.
"To quote a wise woman," he began, "Don't lay down in the middle of the street, or you'll be sat on."
Settling down, Reborn checked his watch to read 11:17 and figured Tsuna would be out another 5 minutes- 10 minutes tops. So he waited. And waited. And waited... and... waited...
It was close to 4:00 pm when Tsuna finally woke up. School was out and Natsu was shaking him awake, and panicked look on his face. "Tsuna!" the boy cried, "Tsuna! Oh thank god you're OK! I was so worried about you! You were just lying on the ground and you wouldn't respond when I called your name! I-"
Tsuna tuned his brother out for the moment, deciding instead to take in his surroundings and try to piece together what had caused him to fall unconscious in the middle of the ally-way.
"What about you? Arcobaleno Reborn, what are you doing this far out of Italy?"
Tsuna paled considerably and shot up off the ground, dragging his brother up with him, and looked around wildly, spotting a very irritated Reborn standing not to far away. The hit-man was actually pretty close. On Natsu's shoulder. Lungs failing, Tsuna almost fainted. Again.
"N... Na-Na-Na... NNNNNNatsu?" he gasped out, pointing at the killer on his love's shoulder.
"Hmm?" Natsu looked over at the seemingly innocent infant on his shoulder. "Oh, this little guy? He found you lying on the ground, and decided to stay with you till you woke up! Isn't that awesome? So young, yet so smart and protective." Natsu put all the gentleness he could muster in his movements and pulled the baby into his arms. "Say, little one. Do you have a name?"
"I'm Reborn." Reborn honestly couldn't believe the contrast between the twins. One was nearly oblivious and the other knowing and cautious. One strong in school and the other weak (though Reborn had a feeling that was due to their own making, and did not really reflect on the twins mental capabilities). Yet they both had equally amusing reactions, albeit complete opposites.
"Aweeee, Tsuna! Can we keep him? Please?!" Natsu pleaded, pouting his lips and doing his best kicked-puppy impression. His lower lips trembled just as Tsuna narrowed his eyes.
"Natsu?" Tsuna sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off hi on-coming migraine.
"Yes?" was the small (adorable) response he got.
"That infant? He's a killer. A hit-man. A trained assassin."
Natsu tilted his head in confusion, his hair bouncing with the movement.
"Tsuna?" the teen asked, his pout disappearing.
"Yes?"
"He's a baby. He hasn't been alive long enough to be trained to be an assassin. And besides, look at this face!" here, Natsu shoved Reborn forward, apparently forgetting all the gentleness he had used before. Reborn had a feeling if he had been a real baby, his neck might have been in danger there. "Does this face look like the kind of face that would kill someone?" Tsuna and Reborn just stared each other in the eye and mutually sighed.
"So," Tsuna said, ignoring his brother for the moment and addressing the assassin instead. "Why are you in Namimori? If you had been here to kill us, we would both be dead before we ever knew you were here. But you haven't killed us yet, so that's not it. If you were here to kill someone else, we would never have known you were here anyway. Yet here you are."
"Like I said, Tsuna!" Natsu interrupted Reborn, pulling said cursed (and now very irritated) infant back into his arms, "He's just a baby! He can't kill anyone!"
Reborn peered up at Natsu, narrowing his eyes at the level of oblivious the teen was showing.
"OK, enough Natsu. I'm being serious here, Reborn is not what he seems." Tsuna said, eyes narrowing enough to let his irritation show. He huffed when Natsu showed no sign of understanding.
"And if you suggest I'm just an infant again, I'll make you hurt like never before." Reborn threatened, putting out as much blood lust as he could; enough so that even Natsu, as oblivious as he was, suddenly tensed, his arms tightening around the hit man before he relaxed enough for Reborn to slip out and land on the ground. He looked up and into Natsu's eyes, watching as they peered back at him. There was fear in his eyes, but not strictly for himself. Well, there was a fear for his own safety, but above that, there was fear for the safety of another. The preteen gulped and took a protective step towards his brother, standing between the hitman and Tsuna.
'That's a good sign,' Reborn thought to himself, watching Natsu instinctively protect his brother. 'If it means that the twins are willing to protect each other, it might mean they'll learn to fight with their Dying Wills a little easier.' Tsuna reached out to grab onto his brother's arm from behind, not in a manner to protect himself, Reborn realized, but more to hold Natsu back from attacking should he try anything stupid.
The height difference between the two identical twins was shockingly obvious when they stood so close together. Natsu was almost a head taller than Tsuna, his arms and legs were longer too, as was his torso. It was no wonder that Natsu was considered the freshman star of the Namimori basketball team. Reborn also took note of the twin's similarities. The shape of their faces was the same, including where they still had a touch of baby-fat lingering on high cheek bones, same noses, exact same shade of chocolate brown hair, and pale skin tone. Their eyes, however, were different shades of brown. Natsu had more of a dark chestnut with gold flecks near his irises, while Tsuna had honey-dew gold mixed in with a light brown.
"Well, this conversation is going no where fast, so how about we go back to your apartment and talk there? More privacy." Reborn suggested, eyes never straying from the twins.
Tsuna dipped his head down behind Natsu's shoulder, hiding his mouth from the hitman as he spoke. Reborn, with his sharper ears than the rest of the human population, picked up the small talk that the twins shared, "For now, we'll trust him."
Natsu lifted his hand up to cover his mouth, "Are you sure?"
Tsuna nodded into his shoulder, "Yes. With dinner and conversation. Not... everything."
They paused, Natsu visibly relaxing after a moment, before Tsuna walked out in front of Natsu, smiled, and asked politely, "Alright then. We'll have a talk after dinner then. What would you like to eat?"
"Where do you usually eat?" Reborn asked calmly. Tsuna huffed.
"Where? As if I'd just let Natsu eat out while I still live and breath. I cook every meal we eat at home. So what would you like to eat? I'm asking now so I can pick something up on the way home if need be."
'Now that's a little odd,' Reborn thought as he answered a quick 'anything is fine with me.' 'If I were an unguarded pre-teen at home alone, I'd eat out everyday.' The teens started to walk down the ally way and Reborn followed them, a question on his mind.
'Why are they holding hands?'
Well, actually, it was less 'holding hands' and more like they were walking so close together, the backs of their hands were touching and their finger tips were interlaced. Reborn watched as they walked a couple steps toward the other end of the ally way, wondering if the twins even realized they were so close, or if it was just natural to them. They were still grieving their mother's loss after all, perhaps this is how they got through the worst of it? This closeness?
"Reborn-san, are you coming? I need to pick up some chicken cutlets for dinner. And apparently I've been out so long, the shops are closing, so we need to hurry." Tsuna called back, his hand no longer touching Natsu's. Reborn shrugged, ran 3 or 4 steps and jumped up onto Natsu's shoulder. It was higher than Tsuna's, so it gave him a better view.
Well? I'm terribly sorry, but this chapter just would not come out of my head! I didn't want to force it, but then I noticed how suddenly, two weeks had passed! Or was it 3... I don't know anymore. So... I forced it...
um...
yeah...
Tsuna is OOC in this compared to canon Tsuna. But then again, he's had a much different up-bringing... he's sarcastic as hell and I love it!
-Mel Writer.
