Happiness fades
"What the hell? Tsuna! Nooooo! Don't jump! Don't be so reckless! I know life has been hard but suicide isn't the way out! You can talk to your new awesome brother here!" Skull shouted, his eyes as wide as saucers.
A few moments ago, he was just about to head back to his room when he saw Tsuna at the window looking down with fear in his eyes. When he had a foot on the windowsill, Skull panicked like crazy and when he saw Tsuna jump, he screamed for Tsuna and ran towards the same window and stuck his head out to look down, preparing to see a bloody body but to his surprise, he saw Tsuna giggling in Fon's arms.
"That was pretty fun! Oh hi Skull!"
Skull let out a sigh of relief. He's alive! "You almost scared me for a moment there! I thought you were about to kill yourself!" he reprimanded, leaping out of the window and landing beside Fon.
He was worried?... For me? Tsuna kept silent as the smile slowly faded away from his face. "I can't die yet... Not until I know they're gone and that he's safe..." Tsuna mumbled, lowering his head.
Fon and Skull looked at each other with a shared expression of uncertainty on their faces. Fon brushed a lock of Tsuna's hair from his face and laid him down gently on the soft grass. "Do not worry while you are here," Fon said, lightly brushing against Tsuna's bandaged arm. "We will help you if you need help so don't hesitate okay?" Tsuna nodded, leaning against Skull who sat down on the grass beside him while Fon went back to training.
"I wish I could fight like him..." Skull sighed.
"I'm sure you have your own fighting style too!"
Skull shook his head. "But I'm not as good as the others... I mean like, Reborn is the best hitman in the world and stuff and he's one of the stronger ones in the group, Mammon is crazy with her creepy illusions, Lal and Colonello deal with firearms and heavy artillery, Fon as you can see is best with close combat, Verde is a genius who creates weapons for us, Luce doesn't really need to fight since she has a cool skill of seeing the future... While I have nothing. I can do stunts but what's the point? I am the weakest member of the Arcobaleno after all."
Tsuna tilted his head cutely, lightly patting on Skull's purple hair. "That's not true! I thought you were really cool when I saw those pictures of your stunts! I don't think anyone of the Araco... Arcoru-"
"Arcobaleno?"
"Yea! They couldn't do that, could they?"
"I... I guess not..."
"Would you jump off a ten storey building without hesitation?"
"Pfft, of course! That's nothing! I would just land right on my feet!"
"And could you jump off a cliff and survive?"
"Well, yeah, duh. A few broken bones here and there but it's no problem. I'm pretty much immortal-like."
Tsuna smiled nervously. I didn't think that was actually possible for even him... Well, he doesn't need to know that. "See? You do have a gift! And I'm sure Lal's training to you isn't that bad as you make it sound, right?"
Skull rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. "It's... Manageable. I tend to erm... Overreact a little..." Both became silent after a while and continued to watch Fon train. Tsuna noticed how Fon's eyes were narrowed with concentration; his muscles tightening with each punch and kick.
He could actually break someone's neck with a punch like that... I wonder if... I wonder if I could do something like that too.. And have my revenge. Simple…Right? Tsuna thought, clenching his fists into tight balls.
"Tsuna? Are you okay?" Skull asked when he noticed the boy looking at his clenched fists. I don't like this feeling I'm getting…
Tsuna relaxed and looked up with a small smile. "Yeap."
~~~~~~~.
"I'm so glad everyone could make it back in time for dinner from your missions!" Luce cheered, clapping her hands together as she sat at the head of the table.
More like threatened us to make it back or else... Everyone thought.
"Hm, looks like the experiment subject is still alive..." Verde said, looking weirdly at the child.
Tsuna flinched and shifted himself closer to Skull. He had heard of the horrifying stories about Verde from Skull (he did have a sneaking suspicion that Skull was exaggerating) and made it a point to stay far, far away from the (supposedly) mad genius scientist.
"So Tsuna-chan! How was your day?"
"Tsuna... Chan?" Skull asked. He wasn't very learned in Japanese culture but he did know that they had some honorific system.
"Well, I figured if Tsuna-chan is going to stay here, we could have fun using honorifics!"
Skull brightened up and nodded vigorously. "Tsuna, Tsuna! Call me Skull-nii!"
"Kora! That sounds like fun! Call me Colonello-nii too! You can call Lal, Lal obaasan!" Colonello sounded excited, nudging Lal.
"Oi! That's Lal-sama for you!"
Tsuna giggled and looked at Fon. "Is Fon-nii okay?"
"Of course, Tsuna." Fon replied.
Mammon couldn't be bothered and continued with her dinner while Verde just snorted. Reborn rolled his eyes. Childish idiots. "You're still leaving after your wounds heal." The table suddenly fell silent, the only sound being the utensils coming in contact with the ceramic plates. Tsuna felt despondent once again. He knew his wounds were almost healed and the bandages there were just for show. Looks like his happiness was short-lived. Soon he'll have to go back to the unforgiving streets where every day was a fight for survival and he would never have food like this again. This time, he ate his meal slower, savouring every bite.
~~~~~~~.
"Tsuna-chan! I have a mission tomorrow so I can't play with you... Will you be okay by yourself?" Skull said, walking the brunet to his room.
"I'll be fine!" Tsuna replied. He intended to stay in his room anyway. After all, he had to enjoy while he could right? Soon it would be back to sleeping in damp alleys with cardboards for a blanket.
Suddenly, Tsuna felt like he was being lifted into the air and turned around. "Luce-nee!" he wrapped his small arms around the Arcobaleno boss' neck and nuzzled against it. He inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of pine and roses. He felt safe and protected in her arms, like all his worries were gone. She was like a mother, even though he never had one. However, Tsuna knew it would never happen. Life was never this easy and he knew it would never be. There was no such thing as eternal happiness. His only wish at the moment was to stay away from those horrible people and make sure his friend was safe and happy. Anything else could go lower on his list.
"Don't worry, we'll do whatever it takes to keep you here, okay?" Luce whispered, gently stroking the child's back. Tsuna nodded groggily, already half-asleep in the comforts of Luce's arms. "So cute!" she squealed. "Quick, Skull! Get the camera!"
After shots were taken, Tsuna was tucked into bed, with a kiss planted on his forehead. "Sweet dream, Tsu-chan!..."
That night, he had no nightmares.
~~~~~~~.
Morning came, beams of sunlight streaming through the gaps of the curtain onto Tsuna's face. He shifted slightly in the soft bed, pulling the comforter higher. Feeling warm after a while, he soon kicked it off and cracked open his eyes. Wow... I actually slept well... He thought, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
After freshening up, he went for breakfast and his usual training with Colonello and Lal. He had a bath after the tiring exercise and made his way towards the garden.
Maybe I can pick out some flowers for Luce-nee and the others!
~~~~~~~.
Reborn walked down the hallway, his face as indifferent as ever. Luce hadn't sent him off on any missions yet, leaving him to wander around aimlessly. Soon, his thoughts were on the weakling child. How could Luce bring him back to the mansion? The Arcobaleno was one of the most powerful groups and as with Luce as their leader, didn't she know that by bringing the boy back, she would be compromising the group's safety? Not that they couldn't protect themselves. It was just more of a hassle. Groups might try to attack them by exploiting their weakness which was that child. Turning a corner, he saw Colonello whistling to himself, hands in his pocket.
"Hey Reborn! What's up kora!" the blond greeted, a grin on his face.
"Nothing. You seem happy." Reborn replied, not that he actually cared if his comrades were happy or not.
"I had fun with Tsuna-chan there! He totally freaked out when I jumped him from behind! You should have seen his reaction, kora!"
Reborn frowned. "That brat is nothing but a hindrance. Why are you getting so close with him?"
Colonello clicked his tongue. "Jealous now? Look, I know you're heartless but you can't be that heartless to throw out a little kid on the streets like that, kora!"
"I'm a hitman. We're all killers. We are not parents! Luce should never have picked him up in the first place! He was on the streets already so why pick him up?" Reborn growled, adjusting his fedora.
Colonello just shook his head. "We could try to raise him..."
"And what? Raise him to be like us? Please, look at him! He's scrawny, clumsy and naïve! He probably couldn't even outrun a dog without tripping a few times!"
"... You're worried aren't you?" Colonello smirked, patting the hitman's shoulder before walking away. "Besides, Luce always knows what she's doing, kora."
"Hey!- Damn you, Colonello!" Reborn pinched the bridge of his nose, silently cursing the blonde.
~~~~~~~.
Tsuna yawned. The afternoon sun was getting to him and he really needed a nap. As he trudged towards his room, he accidentally bumped into Reborn.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Brat." Reborn said with a scowl. His cold black eyes stared into Tsuna's brown ones. The boy flinched, trying his best not to turn away. "You know what I think? I think you're useless." Reborn insulted and snorted elegantly when the boy flinched again. "You're a nuisance and deadweight to the Arcobaleno. Do you have any idea what we do? Do you? With you here, you're going to be our weakness and a burden!"
Tsuna just stood there, stunned. The words pierced him like knives would and he had a sudden urge to cry. Suddenly he didn't feel so sleepy anymore. A lump formed in his throat and he fought back the urge to make any form of noise, knowing that Reborn wouldn't like it.
Reborn soon walked away with a dsgusted look on his face, leaving Tsuna in the hallway.
I... I didn't know I was that much trouble... I shouldn't stay too long… I knew it was too god to be true.
~~~~~~~.
During dinner time, Tsuna went down to the dining hall and when he pushed open the door, he only saw Luce, Reborn and Lal.
"Tsu-chan! I was just about to call you down for dinner!"
Tsuna nodded and went to his seat, keeping his head down. He ate his food as silently and quickly as possible, occasionally making small talk with Luce. When he was done, he quickly went back to his room.
Luce noticed the odd behaviour but shook it off, thinking that Tsuna was just missing Skull.
~~~~~~~.
Skull opened the door to his room, taking off his helmet and his wet jacket, throwing them in a corner of his room. There was a sudden downpour and Skull was totally unprepared for it. Stretching his sore limbs after being on his motorcycle for more than four hours, he went towards his desk and under the dim moonlight, he noticed a rose and a small piece of paper underneath it. Picking up the paper, his eyes widened in shock as he read it.
Thank you for everything...
He dropped the card and dashed out of the room, making his way towards Luce's. Please don't let it be what I think it is...
Suddenly, he saw a flustered Luce running towards him, a white piece of paper in hand.
"Skull! Tsu-chan's… Tsuna's gone!"
Thanks everyone for the reviews, alerts, and faves! They really cheered me on to write! Unfortunately, school is starting so chapters will be much slower, at most 2-3 weeks for a chapter :( Oh by the way, I wonder if I confused you but in the previous chapter, I actually stated the first two letters of Tsuna's unknown friend's name! Not saying it out now :)
Another thing, someone asked me how old were the Arcobaleno members! Well, they're in their early twenties with Skull being the youngest at 20 and Verde and Fon the oldest at 25.
Anonymous review replies now!
MaiA: hehe yeah XD Thanks! You'll know soon! Uhhh and another cliffhanger here again. Lol sorry, can't help it!
Aqua: And it's more you shall have! :D
Anonymous: Yeap! Unfortunately, some of the other members won't be so easy to convince... Haha, yea, I was reading the manga and it totally hit me about the Fon and Mammon coupling XD!
Thanks everyone again and do continue to review! It'll really boost my mood for school and writing of course! hehe~
Ciao!