Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. I am simply borrowing the characters for this story. This fanfic will be as original as it can be. Similarities with other fanfics are not intended.
Warning: Tsuna with backbone. AU.
Chapter 2
When the driver dropped him off in front of the Vongola mansion, there was nothing out of the norm. Members of the famiglia walked in and out of the place as usual.
Tsuna was not a superstitious person. He was never the kind to take things like a broken cup too seriously. However, that night, there was something about how the wind was howling sadly and in the way how the usually sleeping guard dogs were barking that did not sit well with him.
One of the things that alerted him was definitely the fact that his bedroom door was slightly ajar.
If it was Reborn, he definitely would close the door so that he could shoot Tsuna when he entered without being wary. He would barely succeeded in avoiding the bullet but that was exactly what the hitman intended so that he could punish Tsuna because he definitely had taught him better. It was, after all, unsightly for a mafia boss to be so less prepared.
If it was Takeshi, he was sure that he would already be watching the baseball game that he had set to be recorded before he went out for his mission. The natural-born hitman tended to borrow the TV in his room after he had learnt his lesson to never record anything on the TV in the living room as Lambo tended to delete it so that he could record his own show.
If it was Lambo… He was absolutely one of the people who would have no qualm about entering his room without any reason. There was also the fact that Lambo had no idea how to be quiet and how to do things silently so he was immediately ruled out.
It was definitely not Kyoya because that guy hated ambiguity and suspense. He was never one for careful planning and he tended to jump head first into the problem so that he could bite whatever it was to death. He would not have enough patience to set up something that looked premeditated like this. If he wanted to see him, he would have gone to him first. He would not bother waiting for the brunet in his room. It could not have been his Cloud anyway if the state of his door was any indication. A door left open was just not Kyoya's style. A broken down one was.
There was also the fact that he sent all of them out for a short mission and was not due to be back until next week. Except Reborn and Lambo. The freelance hitman was now in Florence on a business trip. He had said nothing much but Tsuna knew that it was a killing mission like usual so he would be back soon enough. Lambo was now visiting the Bovino family after Tsuna told him to since it had been a while since he visited the very family that took care of him since birth.
Whoever left it open was definitely doing it deliberately. It was an invitation to enter and see what was waiting for him inside. He reached for the handgun that Reborn made him carry around. He should not have left his mittens in his bedroom when he was going to his study room earlier that day. Nothing happened lately but there was no predicting when an enemy would come attacking him. He felt more at ease when he had his mittens with him. There was something about guns that did not sit well with him and often, he would try to avoid using it at all costs.
He kicked the door open and immediately pointed his gun at behind the door. Seeing nothing there, he cautiously walked around the room while still holding the gun in front of him. He took a deep breath when he found nothing suspicious intending to let out a deep sigh but his nose was assaulted by the smell of something metallic.
Blood.
Immediately, he blinked and when his eyes opened again, his eyes were orange. His vision was clearer now and he could see things better in the dark as the fire on his forehead helped to light up the room. There was no sign of struggle or a fight as his belongings were still at their usual places. However, Tsuna knew the smell of blood and he would be lying if he said he was not familiar with it.
He never liked the smell. It made his stomach churned but he took another sniff anyway and followed the smell to where it smelled the strongest. He eventually found himself opening the door to his closet with one hand and suddenly, his intuition was screaming at him that he would not like whatever he would find. He directed the barrel of his gun to his front but when he saw what was in his closet, he immediately dropped it.
He recognized the person in his closet. It was the guard who usually greeted him whenever he returned from a diplomatic mission, the one who was in charge of the front line security in the mansion. When he did not see the man at the front earlier, he simply ruled it off as him having to take care of one of his new recruits.
If he was not in his hyper dying will mode, he would have felt a surge of temper rushing through him. The guard might not have been close to him but he was still a part of the family he was responsible for.
The poor man's eyes were wide open but they were dead to the world. It was not the first time for Tsuna to see someone dead but the uneasy feeling was still there. He went on to grip the man's chin and tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing at the bullet hole that he discovered. He could not find any bullet, ironically, and there was only one explanation for that.
Flames.
Suspecting that that could not be all, he immediately ripped the man's clothes open when he saw blood concentrated on his navel area. He saw a fresh stab wound that was partly closed among the other cuts and he wondered if the man had some dormant sun flame in him because there was no other explanation for that regeneration ability. This particular wound, though, was definitely caused by a sword.
He wondered why there was not any blood trail considering the amount of blood the man must have lost. However, he definitely had received the perpetrator's message.
There was a war coming and the first thing Tsuna would do was to call back his four most trusted people for an emergency meeting.
He went to click on the buzzer on his bedside table to get someone to get rid of the corpse in his room, still feeling as if there was something else that he was supposed to find.
Tsuna found himself in the detention room again. This time, though, he did not do anything. He was woken up from his sleep a bit earlier than usual and he bitterly wondered if he muttered anything that roused suspicion when he was asleep. The only thing that kept his thoughts at bay was the fact that they woke him up quite gently in comparison with the usual way they did it. There was going to be a big change coming. He was positive of it.
He watched the usual guard entered the room with his face carefully steeled into a neutral expression, a piece of paper in his hand. He sat on the seat opposite to the brunet with the paper set in front of him, his forced calm composure catching Tsuna's attention. It was quite unusual for the hot-tempered guard to look so composed. Tsuna always liked playing with the man as he almost often reacted to Tsuna's actions the way Tsuna wanted him too. Emotional people were the best people to get some information from, after all.
"I would like to speak to you about your rights." He wondered if they were going to impede on them more. It would not do for Tsuna if all his rights were taken away but it would also not do for him to be targeted by the authorities in a closed area like this.
Tsuna nodded at him, urging him to go on. This caused an annoyed look to escape onto the guard's expression but it was gone as soon as it came.
However, he was unable to control his tone as well as he controlled his expression so Tsuna could hear the irk that seeped into his voice. "You might have been aware of the new law about prisoner's right." His tone was monotonous as if the words had been drilled into him by his superior. Tsuna heard the same tone many times already from Lambo when Tsuna directed him to talk to someone on his behalf. "You are to be allowed visitors no matter how bad your acts were. In exercising our discretion, we are not allowed to discriminate against people like you."
"People like me?" Tsuna could not help but pressed when he felt the need to tease the man. It always felt nice to rile someone like him up. This time, though, it was not to rile him up. Tsuna had every intention to use the words that he said in the future if the situation asked for it.
"Mafia," he gritted out but still maintained his composure. At least, Tsuna thought so until his next sentence. "We are not to take into account your line of occupation. I am not in favour of the new law though. It would have been better if you guys are immediately taken into the Vendicare's jurisdiction."
The Vendicare prison was run by the Vindice who were the one who were in charge of enforcing the commandments in the mafia world. The mafia world was another world entirely from the normal world so there was a belief that they could not be trialled by normal law. As far as the Vendicare was concerned, Tsuna had not yet broken a rule of the mafia world so they would not bother prying into his business.
The man's frustration, he had a feeling, was because of the number of young men being trafficked into the mafia world lately that the government could no longer turned a blind eye on it seeing how many innocent people were forced to enter the world.
He wondered if he could be considered as one of the people being trafficked into this world considering his initial reluctance in getting involved.
It would not be any better for Tsuna had the old law was still in force, if Tsuna were to say it. Tsuna knew that it was not normal to put him under this much surveillance. The only other person who was put under this much surveillance was the man with the heterochromatic eyes. It was understandable why he would be put under that much surveillance considering the number of times he managed to escape being detained.
There was a buzz from the guard's walkie-talkie causing him to cough uneasily. "Right," he started before continuing uneasily. "In the case where you might or could not have been aware of the law, I am going to explain it to you so you will not be able to say that you are not allowed your rights if matters are to be brought to court. As a prisoner, you are allowed the basic rights of eating, drinking, an open-air time for a limited duration and also visitors and this will include a solicitor or even a barrister had your legal rights are being limited without a reasonable explanation."
Tsuna immediately understood why they were going to allow him some visitors. The rule of law that even mafia lived by was the fact that no man was above the law and everyone was equal before the law. That said, not even the prison would be safe from prosecution had the prisoners acted on their right. Unfortunately, there was no way for most prisoners to be able to hire a legal adviser. However, Tsuna was different. He was the leader of Vongola and if he or any of his trusted persons were to threat a legal adviser into representing them, they would rarely have the guts to complain of duress. They did not want to waste money on a legal proceeding that they knew they would lose. Even though the possibility of them losing was not hundred percent, they did not want to take the chance.
There were many rights here that would be in his favour unlike if he was thrown into the Vendicare's prison. Albeit, if he was to be thrown in the Vendicare prison had he surrendered himself, he would not have done it in the first place. He needed three strikes in the normal prison before he was thrown to the Vendicare if the guards deemed him as uncontrollable by normal law. It was funny though how they quickly entrusted most threats to the Vendicare who were as much mafia as they were. They were a pseudo policing authorities as much as the mafias were concerned. There were many stories about Vendicare in the underground world and none of them described them as Saints. They were often described as the Rippers of the mafia world, never the kind to offer salvation to people like them. Tsuna, himself, was taught by Reborn not to go against them. After seeing them just once or twice though, even if Reborn had not warned him, he would not even think about it.
"That said, as you are a convicted prisoner, you are allowed two visits for every four weeks. This right will be available for you from the day you were taken in so that means your first four weeks started on this day last week. We will inform your family that they have three more weeks to use those two visits before they expire." He pulled out a pen from his breast pocket and tapped the paper in front of him with it. "I will need you to give me your family's contact detail. And by family, I meant your parents."
Tsuna pursed his lips as his eyes narrowed. As far as Tsuna was concerned, he only had his mother almost his whole life. Unfortunately for him, his mother was not aware of his line of work. Sadly, the fact still remained that his father was not dead as he was the one who dragged him into this world in the first place. It would be better if he was. He made a reluctant face and asked, "Do I have to give a name?"
The guard allowed a condescending smile to appear on his lips. "Why? Do you have something to hide, 1027?"
The brunet forced himself to stay calm and smiled. "Of course not. Then, that will be Sawada Iemitsu. Contact number is…"
When the guard was done writing the number down, he narrowed his eyes at the brunet. "How about your mother?"
Tsuna managed to stop a twitch. Something akin to guilt entered his heart at the implications of his next words. "My mother is not here."
The guard was not going to take his words that easily. "Oh? Then where is she?"
"Somewhere that I can't reach," he answered ambiguously. His mother was in Japan and there was just no way that he would make her come here when danger was practically following him around. He would not get his mother involved in this world and as far as he knew, his mother was safe in Japan.
The guard stared at him for a moment before deciding to dismiss him.
Another guard entered the room as Tsuna stood up. Just when Tsuna was at the door, the prison guard who was talking to him spoke up again. "Prisoner 1027." Tsuna stopped to look at him. "You will be staying in a different cell starting from tonight."
Tsuna loved breakfasts. It was the only time, since he got involved in this world, when he could have all the peace in the world. His mother had always told him that it was not fine for him to miss either lunch or dinner but he should never skip breakfast, especially when he was busy with work.
Regrettably, right now, he wanted nothing more than to skip it.
It was not because the meal they were given did not taste good too. Tsuna learnt to never be picky about his foods even though he had been living on the delicious foods made by his mother since he could eat.
Rather, it was because of the pair of glaring green eyes staring down at him. He was not scared. It was just that he was losing his appetite as it was making him feel uncomfortable. Feeling a bit annoyed, he put down his fork on his tray.
"If you have something to say, do say it now. I don't have much time to enjoy my breakfast like you do."
"I don't approve of you."
"I don't need your approval, Prisoner 1059."
"Gokudera Hayato," he hissed. "I hate the label they're giving us here and I don't plan to live by the rules here."
"Ahh… How unfortunate. I intend to be a rule-abiding prisoner during my stay here. If you would please go sit wherever you were sitting before you decided to stare down at me yesterday, then I would be more than happy to see you go."
The silver-haired prisoner looked like he wanted to say something but after one look at behind Tsuna, he let out a growl and stood up with his food tray. "I really don't see it. How could people bow down to someone like you like you're some kind of a God?" He kicked the leg of the table childishly but became increasingly irritated when Tsuna barely reacted. "Tche."
Satisfied that he was finally leaving him alone, Tsuna picked up his fork again. He was just about to stab the thing that should have looked like sausage but did not taste like sausage when a shout interrupted him.
"Ouch! You broke my arm, shithead!"
'It's still morning,' Tsuna thought as his grip on his fork tightened.
"What the hell? Who do you think I am? Some wimpy high school student?! Do you really think that I would believe that amount of pressure is capable of breaking your damn arm?"
'Don't they realize that it's a bit too early to be fighting?'
The guy Gokudera bumped into pushed him backwards towards the table. Gokudera's grip on the tray loosened at the unexpected force he was being subjected to. Tsuna stilled when some of the badly-made mashed potato flew to his table and splattered all over the space where Gokudera just occupied, some finding its way onto Tsuna's plate. Tsuna had some trouble keeping the ones on his plate away from the more edible ones too.
'Even Kyoya had some decency to not fight when people are eating and I thought he was bad.'
The other guy picked a fallen fork and proceeded to attempt to gouge out Gokudera's eyes. "I'll be taking your eyes now."
Tsuna really did not get what the relation between a broken arm and gouging someone's eyes out were and how it compensated the other. That did not matter, however, as his patience were getting thinner by the second.
He just wanted to have his breakfast in peace, was that something that he was not entitled to too?
Tsuna was not one to instil terror in people. That was Kyoya's forte. But right then, Tsuna was not thinking when he stabbed his fork onto the other guy's hand that he placed on the table in order to support himself as he continued his assault on the green-eyed man who was all talk but no action.
A pained shout filled the cafeteria causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing along with a sharp hiss. No one really paid attention earlier, thinking that it was just a daily fight on some table and no guard bothered to stop the two since usually sending them a warning glare would be enough.
Tsuna's mind slowly processed the stomping sound the guards' heavy boots made as they rushed to his table and when he felt arms securing him from under his armpits in an attempt to stop him from doing anything more than he already did, the only thought that entered his head was how wasteful it was to leave his food like that.
Taking pity on the prison guard who looked tired of seeing him, he decided to be the one to break the tense silence in the room.
"I admit. This time, I am in the wrong."
"Good," he growled out. "That's gonna be one warning on your records before you're being sent to Vendicare, 1027."
Tsuna stared as the guard rubbed his temple in an attempt to nurse his growing headache. It had been only a few minutes since Tsuna saw the man but he already looked more tired than he should be as if it had been hours. Tsuna stayed silent, not wanting to get into more trouble than he already had.
Normally, he would not lose his temper that quickly. He supposed it was because he was reminded of his father earlier that he was like this. Sawada Iemitsu had always been the subject of his contempt ever since he saw his mother crying when he did not return on their wedding anniversary. He was the only person in the world that could make Tsuna act like the heartless person that he was not. If Tsuna could choose, he did not want to be in touch with the man.
This time, though, Tsuna was allowed to choose. Even though it was Iemitsu's name that he gave, it was not his number. He just hoped that the person whose number he gave would not give him away. Remembering how absurdly fast he caught on things though, Tsuna had no doubt that the man would act the way Tsuna wanted him too.
"What are you still doing here? You're dismissed."
Tsuna eyebrows scrunched, surprised at the slap on the wrist he was getting. "That's it?"
The guard stared at him, not sure whether he should look at the younger man in disbelief or amusement. "Which part of getting a warning until you're qualified for the Vendicare prison is a light punishment?" He tsk-ed before he went on to inform the young Boss, "You only have two more warnings before we will throw you into that place, 1027. And I would really like it if you would just hurry up with more wrongdoings. The faster you get out of here, the better."
It turned out that was not the only punishment he was getting. He played with his dinner after a few spoonfuls, not wanting to finish it up.
He was being locked up all day in his new cell which was actually a bit too far away from the other prisoners'. In fact, his previous cell was a whole lot closer to everyone else's. He accepted that as he was allowed visitors now, he would be stripped off at least his right to the company of other people's voices. He never yearned for the sound of the new prisoners' demanding to be let out and the old ones trying to rile up the guards so much until now.
He did not mind losing that kind of environment but after being locked up for almost the whole day, he was on the verge of losing his mind. He now understood how precious his open-air time was as even though he did not socialize with the others, he at least felt more at ease and more calm when he returned to his cell.
He heard of a lot of stories of how people started to lose their hold on their mentality as they fell defeated to their own demons. Tsuna had always tended to brush it off as a sign of a weak mental strength and he had thought that he would be fine after going through Reborn's pupillage. He did not think that there would be anything worse than that and since he survived that, he was sure that he would survive this.
He did not think that way now as he was going crazy not due to his own demons but due to how eerily quiet the place was. There was no sound except for the ones he was making by hitting his utensils on the metal tray. He was used to the noisiness of his daily life especially after meeting someone like Lambo. To other people, they might see him hitting the metal tray instead of eating his food as an act by someone who had already lost control over their thoughts but to Tsuna, it was the only way he could get a hold on himself.
Suddenly he heard steps along with a few voices and a weird laugh that sent shivers down his spine. It was not long after that that he heard the lock on the metal door rattled. He had to squint when the door was pulled open allowing light from outside to enter the dark cell he was in. A guard came in to pick up his tray of food. Tsuna followed his movement and with the new lighting that the room received, he saw the sneer on the guard's face. Tsuna was sure that he would have said something if Tsuna's composed stare did not unnerve him.
Tsuna's eyes continued to follow him as he went out of the cell and only when the cell was locked up again did he realize that there was a man who stayed locked in the cell with him.
"Kufufu, I guess this is really inevitable, Vongola."
AN: Here's the reboot of Chapter 2! If you guys had read this fiction before, then I might have to warn you that after this is where the direction of the story will change. How, you ask? Well, you guys just have to wait for the next chapter, kekeke.
I would like to make a shameless advertisement for my other story. It might not be your cup of tea but it's about a series of murder mystery kind of thing. Well, if I have to say so myself, it's at odds with this one.
Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed, favorited and alerted! It would be a lie to say that you guys did not motivate me. Reviews, especially, makes me guilty for not updating any sooner.
To AkiraYuni, you're so sweet! I'm glad that you like this story enough to say that. I hope you like this chapter too!
To redcatgirl, thank you so much for the compliment! I hope you got more excited because of this chapter xx
I hope everyone likes this chapter too. Please do leave a review on your way out!
