Beauty and the Beasts
*cymbals*
Me: Okay, we're back with the Reader Appreciation Corner! I'm happy to announce that we have officially reached over TWO THOUSAND HITS! Keep up the good work people! Our special guest this week? Dino!
Dino: Yo. So, first off, the author would like to give a little announcement.
Me: I would? Oh yeah…I would. Haha… *sweatdrop* Anyway. So, I know I haven't been really good with this whole updating thing, but I was on vacation the entirety of July, so I have an excuse. Alright, I'll try and make this chapter EXTRA, EXTRA long to compensate and maybe even add in a little bit of fluff! =D
So, back to the real point of this corner. I want to thank EVERYBODY who read, reviewed and put this story under favorites and story alert while I was gone. The number is too massive, so I can't possibly thank everybody.
Dino: She's just gushing. This might go on for a while.
Me: And then those who put ME under author alert and author favorites, you have my eternal gratitude. =) So, that's it for this time's…er…Reader Appreciation Corner. And I want to dedicate this chapter to my best friend
Dino: And now for the disclaimer. The author does not own Reborn.
-x
4: Starting to Believe
"How do I choose?" her voice remained soft, her mind racing. This was unfair. Totally unfair. Why only one of them?
"Your heart will, Tsuna," Gokudera's eyes flashed. "The one that your heart is drawn to, the one that you love, the one that you truly love, will be the one that the flame will save."
"The one that I love?" the brunette murmured under her breath, holding the flame up to eye level. The fire was beautiful, dark orange, flickering and dancing, enticing her in. She dragged her eyes away from it and fixed them on Reborn.
Her uncle smirked before looking pointedly at Gokudera. The silverette took the hint, and needed no further prodding when he heard a shout of "EXTREME BAKING!" coming from the kitchen. "If you'll excuse me, I have to make sure Turf-head doesn't kill himself with the wooden spoon," he spoke condescendingly, scathingly as he stalked out of the library, ears pressed flat against his head.
"Uncle Reborn, why did you wait until now to tell me? You didn't have to wait this long. If you had just told me earlier, I would have had more time." Tsuna bit her lower lip, a heavy weight falling onto her shoulders. She sank to the ground into a kneeling position, the box holding the ring falling onto her lap and rolling a few feet away.
Reborn's eyes remained the same cool black, but his face seemed to soften, if just a little bit. "Your time limit is not my fault."
"Then whose is it?" Tsuna's voice turned bitter. "You were the one holding the ring. You could have given it to me at any time, but no…" It was then that Tsuna realized she cared for all the Beasts, cared for them so deeply it was a wonder how she never noticed this before. It was as if a door had opened in her heart, a door that had been locked away.
She frowned slightly, as images flashed before her eyes. They were faded and blurred, but she thought she could see a red eye, a lazily flicking cat tail, she thought she could smell bamboo soup cooking, or hear shouting and laughter. And just as quickly as they came, she lost them.
Reborn still hadn't answered her question, but Tsuna hadn't expected him to. "It's almost dinner time," he said and Tsuna blinked.
"Dinner time already?" she looked out the window and gasped softly. The sun had started to set, throwing the sky into a vista of brilliant red, purple, orange, yellow, with the clouds stretching themselves out as the blue sky peeked out from behind them. The rays from the sun threw themselves onto the water of the cove, dancing and making the water sparkle. Tears sprung to her eyes as Tsuna watched, speechless. Never had she seen a sunset as beautiful as this.
She pressed her hand against the glass, as if she wanted to be a part of the sunset. Something moved in her peripheral vision and she forced herself to stop looking at the sun and turn her head. It was Yamamoto and Ryohei down by the beach. They had appeared from a hole in the wall, a long table balanced between them. They nestled it down onto the sand as Gokudera appeared pushing a cart with silver dishes on it. Mukuro was behind the silverette, silverware and plates stacked expertly on his hands, a table cloth draped over his arm.
Even Hibari seemed to be helping. Well, he was just lighting the candles, but it was helping enough.
And there was another thing she noticed. All of them had changed their clothes. No longer were they the dark colored travel clothes, but these were nice: pressed white button up shirts, black pants, even shoes. Hibari still had his cloak on, Mukuro's hair was still in that pineapple shape, Gokudera still carried that dirty bag around with him, but it was an improvement. Curiosity struck repeatedly at Tsuna. Was this normal? Did they do this every night? And why, now of all times, were they acting civilized?
"Come on." Reborn's voice surprised Tsuna; she had momentarily forgotten her uncle was still there. "This feast is in honor of you. Don't expect it to last. There should be a selection of dresses for you to choose from in your room. I expect you cleaned up and presentable in twenty minutes."
"W-which one's my room?" Tsuna asked meekly as Reborn turned to leave.
"It's down the hall. When you reach the fork, turn left. It's the second one on the left side." With that, the man was gone.
-x
Tsuna couldn't bear this. She had tucked herself away in a little corner in the entrance that opened up to the beach on the cove. Her dress, the new one that had been laid out for her on her bed when she arrived in her room, seemed out of place on her.
Dark orange and made of some unrecognizable material, it had a large satin ribbon on the right strap, with a ribbon in the back. She thought the entire thing would make her look childish when she had first seen it, but after putting it on…
Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and peered out again, hoping that nobody would notice her. After all, Gokudera was shouting something at Ryohei, who was apparently not setting the silverware up right or something, while Hibari was just lounging in his chair, looking bored.
Yamamoto appeared to be clueless, holding a large silver platter with what seemed to be a whole turkey on it. Gokudera rubbed his temples, when Mukuro appeared, stabbing a piece of turkey on his trident and tasting it.
"You're all useless." The silverette snarled, taking the platter from Yamamoto and setting it down on the table. "Listen to me," he glared at the entire group until they all obliged. "Each place setting should be set in two rows. Start with the bread plate and drinking glasses. Set up left to right with the top row." He began to explain, demonstrating.
"Place the bread plate down first with butter knife. This plate will be to the top left of the dinner plate, at approximately 11 o'clock, if the dinner plate was the face of a clock. Next the coffee cup is placed to the right of the dinner plate at 1 o'clock. Then comes the water glass, to the top left of the coffee cup, at 1 o'clock of the cup." His voice was so business-like.
Gokudera-kun's so capable! Tsuna's eyes widened but then noticed how Yamamoto seemed to be getting the entire concept a lot quicker. Ryohei was looking down at his utensils before looking up.
"These utensils are EXTREMELY confusing!" he shouted.
"Kufufu~" Mukuro chuckled. "We should have just used chopsticks. Like. I. Said."
"I'm hungry. Get this thing going, or I'm going to bite you to death," Hibari said monotonously, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Then help, goddamnit," Gokudera threw a knife at Hibari, who caught it between his fingers, a slight smirk as he half-rose.
"Hii! Don't fight!" Tsuna was out of her hiding place before she realized what she was doing, running towards them, stumbling on the sand. Mukuro caught her as she fell forwards, lifting her back up to her feet. He brushed her cheek with his fingers.
"You're welcome," he smirked, just as his head was knocked to the side by a silver tonfa. "Oya, jealous, Hiba-pii?" Mukuro laughed.
Hibari glared at Mukuro before looking down at Tsuna, who cowered from his murderous expression. "Stay away from him," Hibari jerked his head towards Mukuro, refusing to look over in that direction.
"Dinner's ready, so let's hurry up before the food gets cold," Yamamoto came up behind Hibari, gripping the shorter Beast's upper arm with his strong grip, directing the cat towards his seat at the table. Hibari sat down sullenly, and Tsuna got the impression he was used to getting what he wanted and had been forced to attend this dinner.
She looked around for a seat for her to take, but there was only one left: the big ornate one at the head of the table. She shrank away, looking around wildly, wondering if maybe Reborn was going to take the big seat but as she's looking around, it finally sinks in. Reborn's literally thrown her to the dogs.
With a sigh, she sat down gingerly in the seat, cringing, as if it might explode at any moment. She sat down on the edge of the chair, unsure where to put her hands.
"Say a few words," Yamamoto laughed, as he patted Tsuna on the shoulder. He sat to her left, as he pressed his leg against her in comfort. Tsuna couldn't relax, however, when she noticed exactly how straight Gokudera was sitting, to her right.
Mukuro and Hibari sat next to Gokudera and Yamamoto, respectively and Ryohei occupied the last seat at the end, looking at the food with drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth.
"U-Um, what are we waiting for?" Tsuna bit her bottom lip, looking up at Yamamoto. The dog Beast chuckled.
"Well, I guess we can start then, if there aren't any objections." He looked around with that big grin still plastered on his face.
Gokudera muttered something that sounded remotely like, "Uncivilized imbeciles…" before going on a little rant regarding the dog Beast's mother as he whipped the covers off the three plates closest to him, claiming the plate of steamed bamboo and fish.
Yamamoto had already torn off a leg of the turkey and was gnawing on the bone viciously, his ears and his tail twitching happily. Tsuna looked down at the utensils on either side of her plate and felt somewhat discouraged. She didn't know how to properly use a fork and a knife. Which one was the salad fork? Which one was the soup spoon? Which knife was she supposed to use to cut vegetables? Was that knife different from the one she had to use to cut meat?
As all these questions swirled around her head, she realized that she didn't have an appetite. The food smelled delicious, but she just couldn't eat. She was worried. She was fretting. She was mad at the world because of the decision it had suddenly forced upon her. She didn't even know these guys and she was supposed to choose which one lived.
"Aren't you hungry, Tsunako-chan?" Mukuro said, around what looked suspiciously like a roasted mouse. Hibari was picking delicately at the bones of a whole tuna, dipping it in the sauce it had been garnished in. The cat looked up, his ears flattening slightly when Mukuro flashed a smug smirk in his direction.
"I-I'm starving!" Tsuna tried, unsuccessfully, to lie as she stabbed a piece of beef from a sizzling platter, putting it on her otherwise empty plate and nibbling the edges of the meat.
"EXTREME EATING!" Ryohei suddenly shouted, before plunging head first into the large egg tart he had dragged onto his plate. Tart flew everywhere as the kangaroo inhaled the cake, before moving onto other just as healthy treats.
"S-Shouldn't somebody stop him before he gorges himself to death?" Tsuna whispered weakly.
Nobody answered her, busy as they were with their food.
Tsuna leaned back in her chair, forgetting, momentarily, how expensive and nice it must be as she watched, as amusement flooded her, pushing the negative feelings out of the way as she tried to hold back spurts of giggles. Watching them eat was perhaps the funniest thing she had ever seen. They all ate like the animals they were.
Yamamoto gnawed his bones clean, even sucking out the marrow before moving onto more meat.
Gokudera was a vegetable person. He had hardly touched the meat, but he was already digging into a fruit tart, eating as neatly as possible. There was not a drop outside of his plate.
Mukuro ate, well, like an owl. He swallowed animals full, before turning to the side and regurgitating the fur and the bones. It would have been gross, but Tsuna was suddenly flying high.
Hibari ate like that cat that he was, expertly cleaning out whole fishes before moving onto furrier meat, always making sure to sprinkle just a tad of catnip on his food as seasoning.
Ryohei wasn't really eating like a kangaroo. He was eating like a maniac. Surrounding him was already empty plates and as his stomach grew bigger, so did his mouthfuls.
Tsuna smiled, finding her appetite again. The food was delicious. The seafood spaghetti was a favorite of hers and so was the big chocolate cake at the end, which Gokudera had Yamamoto and Ryohei help him bring out. Even Hibari and Mukuro had slices of the cake. Mukuro relented and allowed himself a second slice.
"Shouldn't chocolate be poisonous to dogs?" Tsuna directed the question at Yamamoto, who laughed, his laugh echoing against the soft sucking sounds of the waves lapping against the sand.
"I suppose," the dog Beast grinned. "But I'm not affected."
"None of us are," Mukuro leaned back in his chair, seeming rather content. Even Hibari appeared relaxed, as his tail flicked lazily from side to side.
The sun had set completely by now and it would have been dark, except for the torches that lined the curve of the cove and the candles on the table. It cast a flickering light over the Beasts and Tsuna, and it made the Beasts seem more sinister.
As Gokudera handed out batches of bamboo to last the night, Tsuna yawned and everybody turned in her direction. She froze, mid-stretch, before Hibari was by her side, already gripping her upper arm.
"H-hiii! Where are you taking me?" she squeaked as the cat began to lead her towards the entrance.
Hibari didn't answer.
Behind her, Tsuna heard someone sigh and then Gokudera say, "He's too possessive for his own good."
To which Mukuro replied, somewhat scathingly but with what seemed to be a droplet of truth, "To which we're all just a little bit jealous."
-x
"H-Hibari-san?" Tsuna stammered as the cat stopped in the middle of the hallway, suddenly, turning around. There appeared to be a rather vicious glint in his eyes as he leaned in close, trapping the girl.
His eyes flashed in the light of the torches that lit up the halls, as his tail wrapped around and tickled Tsuna's legs. She shivered slightly, trying to figure out a way to escape. But she knew that there was no luck. Hibari would let her go when he felt like it. Fear sank deep in the pit of her stomach as she struggled to remain calm. "There's another way," Hibari's voice, which, devoid of any threatening tones, seemed rather nice, broke the silence.
"Another way?" Tsuna blinked, puzzled. What was he talking ab—Oh. That.
"If you want to know," Hibari backed away all of a sudden. "Then take me with you when that man comes tomorrow."
"What do you mean?" Tsuna narrowed her eyes. What man? Could it be Reborn?
But Hibari was gone, the tip of his black tail disappearing into the darkness that gathered around his office. Tsuna slid to the ground, her heart pounding as a blush crept up to her cheeks as she recounted what had just happened. His face had been so close…so close…
She buried her head in her dress, wrapping her arms tighter around her legs. Was this the beginning signs of love? But she didn't know if she wanted to save Hibari. She didn't know if she wanted to save any of them, to tell the truth. It was cruel, and cold, she knew, but she just wanted to chuck the flame out the window until it vanished in the sea, never to be seen again.
Then she could go home.
She wouldn't have to deal with this anymore.
She wouldn't have to be here, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by complete strangers who wanted to be protected from some horrible fate and just because she's the only one who can handle the stupid flame…
Footsteps interrupted her inner rampage, as she looked up, seeing the last person she expected to see: Ryohei. He wasn't looking at her, however. He was looking down the hallway and his face seemed to have calmed. There wasn't any of that EXTREME-ness going on at this moment.
"When you fall out of the ring," he began, almost as if he were talking to himself. "You get up and you keep going. Because, if you have something you're fighting for, then you're going to fight for it with all you've got. Otherwise, it's not worth fighting for." He paused, still not looking at Tsuna. "You can't control which opponent you're going to face. But you face him anyway, even if you know it's going to kill you. Because the reason you're fighting should be a reason that's good enough to die for."
With that, he, too, was gone.
Tsuna let the words sink in, and she realized what he was talking about. If she wanted to go home, if she wanted to get away, she was going to have to do it. She was going to have to find love in this godforsaken place and, even if it killed her, even if the choice tore her to pieces, she was going to choose one of them.
The enormity of the situation crashed down upon her, but she was prepared this time. Determination fired up her eyes as she got up off the floor, wiping her dress. When she walked back to her room, she walked with firmness.
Mukuro, standing in the shadows, smiled to himself. "Finally, she awakens," he murmured, and the pupil in his red eye began to flicker.
-x
A/N: Well, there you go! The latest installation of Beauty and the Beasts. I hope it made up for all those lost weeks. *scratches head* Anyway. Favorites, reviews, even critiques are welcome.
Akai no Kumo