A/N 'Ello people, So this chapter is a little shorter but I just wanted to get it out of the way. I hope you enjoy it please Read and review. Like always the translation list is at the bottom.
Chapter 10
September 19, 2001 - Japan - Tsuna
It was Wednesday and Tsuna was on his way to school, trailing behind him Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san bickered loudly making the brunet smile. They were about halfway to school from his home when they passed Sasagawa-san and her white haired onii-san (1), the strawberry-blonde barely cast a glance in his direction but the male glanced very deliberately at him. Tsuna blushed and ducked his head, not use to attention, before hurrying away from the pair.
The three of them were only a minute from Nami-chuu (2) when the fluffy boy was almost thrown to the ground by the rushing of a pair of bodies past them. Tsuna blinked and quietly thanked Gokudera-san who had steadied him. When the brown eyed boy looked towards the school he noticed a sizeable crowd and Sasagawa-san charging towards the pair at the center.
A bad feeling traveled to the bottom of his stomach causing Tsuna to rush forward, his two companions following dutifully at his back. He could not quite hear what was being said between Sasagawa-senpai and Yoshimi-san but he could see the darkening look on the later's face. He reached the outside of the group and started to wiggle his way through the bodies that blocked him.
"Join the Boxing Club!!" Shouted the older boy. Tsuna finally pushed his way out of the crowd and saw that Sasagawa-san had also reached the pair and stood looking contrite as her onii-san held Tsuna's otouto (3) in a headlock. The crowd, which the brunet could not help but notice was made up mostly by Yoshimi-san's subordinates, churned in displeasure.
"No." Ground out the blond as he fought to escape the boxing captain. Sasagawa-senpai was not about to give up his hold however and Tsuna was afraid his otouto might pull out that gleaming blade. He wanted to save the white haired boy but fear for both of them caused him to freeze as his breath came too quick.
"JOIN THE BOXING CLUB!!!!!" Sasagawa-senpai's voice carried far and wide and the crowd surged before stilling.
"OK!" Shouted Yoshimi-san as he finally wrenched himself free, his normally perfect blond hair was almost as wild as Tsuna's and for the first time the brunet could see the family resemblance. The older boy blinked before smiling widely and opened his mouth before quickly shutting it seeing as Yoshimi-san was walking away, the crowd started to pull away. This left Tsuna, his two friends and the Sasagawa siblings standing alone just outside the gates.
The bell rang and they all hurried into the school, Tsuna watching out for the disciplinarian Hibari-sama's shadow. Thankfully they all made it into the building without any problem and with a silent glance at him the older student took off down a side hall. Tsuna watched him leave, an ache appearing in his chest and the brunet knew that he wanted Sasagawa-senpai in the same way he wanted Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san. The second bell sent the four silent classmates running toward their classroom.
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September 19, 2001 - Japan - Ryohei
Sasagawa Ryohei, Captain of the Boxing Club and onii-san supreme, was pumped to the Extreme!
Of course boxing always made him that way but at that moment he felt even more pumped than normal, his blood thundered in his veins and his muscles ached with the need to fight. To relieve some of the tension he felt as he waited for Sawada Yoshimi to arrive he was shadow boxing under the guidance of Master Paopao, the Muay Thai master from Tai Tai (4). As he moved his mind went to the other Sawada, Dame-Tsuna, who for some reason intrigued him.
Truth be told Ryohei had very little patience for things that did not involve fighting or his imoto (5) but the fluffy haired boy just would not leave his brain. He was setting up for a jab when he noticed a shadow crossing in front of the shoji doors (6) to the gym. With an Extreme punch he hurtled toward the door and threw it open expecting it to be the awaited Yoshimi but he found instead Dame-Tsuna and his two friends.
"Sumimasen (7)." The boy said in quiet voice as he bowed lowly.
"Hello Sawada!" Ryohei exclaimed after a moment of stunned silence. The brown haired boy smiled shyly up at him. Kyoko had told him little of the second Sawada but he did know that the boy was a shy one naturally, though somewhere in the back of his mind the white haired teen remembered the strong brown eyes and wide smile from their youth.
"I… I… I would like to join the Boxing Club." Dame-Tsuna stuttered as he wrung his hands. Ryohei blinked in confusion before a huge smile crossed his face.
"Of course," He shouted as he grabbed the smaller teen's arm and dragged him into the room, completely ignoring the growl from the Tako head (8). "We are always looking for new members to the Extreme."
"Captain?!" One of the boxers exclaimed in exasperation. The rest of the team stopped what they were doing to crowd around them. "We will lose every match if you allow Dame-Tsuna to join."
"Hey!" Tako head exclaimed with aggression. The silver-blond made to rush the member who had spoken but was held back by the Yamamoto kid as Dame-Tsuna seemed to wilt under the judging eyes of their classmates.
"It is alright Gokudera-san," Ryohei heard the brunet whisper. "If they do not want me I am not going to force it."
"Do not be silly to the Extreme," The white haired boy said as he scratched at his scarred brow. Memories of the Tsunayoshi of his childhood weighed heavily on his mind as he glared at his boxers. "I said we are always looking for new members."
"Thank you," Sawada said with a brilliant smile. The boxers grumbled lowly as they went back to their practicing leaving Ryohei standing alone with the three younger students and Master Paopao. "I will work as hard as I can."
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September 19, 2001 - Japan - Reborn
Reborn was seething as he sat watching Dame-Tsuna struggle to copy the boxing poses the older Sasagawa was showing him. Yoshimi had disobeyed a direct order to attend the offered boxing practice and had missed out on the young and potentially powerful active Sun that was Sasagawa Ryohei. Even as he watched he could sense the tiniest amount of Sky Flames leaking from the brunet as he huffed and puffed his way through the exercises.
Off to the side the other boxers were making bets on how long the younger boy would last before he quit but the hitman was almost sure that Dame-Tsuna would sooner die than admit defeat.That having been said the boy would never be a great contender; no the brunet just was not built for the sport and Reborn was sure the other Sun knew it too. The true heir had a slim, compact frame that the Arcobaleno guessed would be more suited for other fighting styles but only time would tell if Ryohei suggested anything but boxing.
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September 21, 2001 - Italy - Iemitsu
Iemitsu gave a tired sigh as he poured over the documents and reports following the escape of Xanxus. He had not slept a wink in the three days since the incident and was only running because of coffee and the help of a sympathetic Sun. However he knew he had to find the wayward teen before the rest of the mafia did, not only to protect the famiglia but also to protect his figlio (9). Xanxus was a threat to any and all who might take the Vongola throne, even a non-Sky Basil would be in danger.
After Xanxus was frozen the Independent Assassination Squad had been kept on a short lease but years had gone by without a toe out of line and they had been given back their indepence. It seemed that that had been the wrong move after all because the upper echelons had also gone M.I.A. leading Iemitsu and the Nono to believe that the Wrath user was being sequestered by his former subordinates. This left the blond in a tricky spot, while he had orders to find his cugino (10) if he were to storm the Varia headquarters (even if he had probable cause to do so) he would be unleashing a hornets nest of bad news on him and his people.
Truthfully Iemitsu was at the point of ripping out his hair in frustration and sheer terror at the thought of Xanxus attacking his family. The very notion that the Wrath user being with in a hundred kilometers of his Tuna-fish was enough to set him to trembling with rage. It was not that he was not worried about his other figlio but Basil had been trained most of his life by the members of the C.E.D.E.F. and Yoshimi was being watched over by Reborn. However Tuna-fish had no one to watch his back, at least no one that the blond thought appropriate, the Gokudera boy and Tsuyoshi's odd civilian son just were not suitable companions in his eyes.
"Maestro (11)?" Basil's young voice sounded from the doorway causing Iemitsu to look at his oldest. The boy, no young man, was close to 16 years old and looked like his mother more and more every day. It was difficult having his figlio as a Guardian, the feeling he sometimes felt for the brown haired boy were somewhat inappropriate and left him feeling sick with himself. The Rain however, having no clue he was Iemitsu's figlio, had no such reservations on what he wanted out of their bond.
"Yes, Basil?" He inquired, shifting uneasily in his chair. The brown haired teen smiled brightly and held up the cafeteria tray.
"I brought you lunch Maestro." Basil chirped and stepped into the office. Iemitsu could not help but notice the way his figlio purred his words. The boy set the tray down and smiled seductively up at him through his bangs.
"Thank you." The blond replied, his voice husky with attraction and he cursed the fact that it had been so long since he had gotten laid. He cleared his throat and with an iron will looked away from the boy who was all but begging Iemitsu to bend him over the desk that separated them. "You can go now."
Basil did not say anything for a minute, crystalline tears touching the corner of his eyes. However he nodded and turned his back before letting the water fall but Iemitsu could all but taste the Rain's despair as he left the room. He looked at the tray on his desk for a moment before sighing and and reaching over to pull back the lid. Underneath the steel were some of his favorites, foods that could not be found at the C.E.D.E.F. food court.
He closed his eyes and placed the lid back over the food. Iemitsu did not have time to deal with his figlio's crush on him, he had bigger things to worry about. He opened his brown eyes and looked back down at the reports even though he knew none of them had even a hint of where Xanxus might be. He prepared for another long night, the tray of food growing cold as darkness descended outside his window.
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September 25, 2001 - Japan - Tsuna
Tsuna had been trying his hardest at boxing for almost a week and he could say without a doubt that he was just terrible at the sport. He was sure that Sasagawa-senpai was also aware of his dameness and was on the verge of kicking him out of the club. The brunet wouldn't blame him if he did either, after all he was just Dame-Tsuna, who could not do anything right.
The brunet frowned where he sat on a bench in some random section of Namimori, he had not always been dame and sometimes when the world slowed and righted itself out he was kinda not dame for a few minutes. So maybe he did not have to stay Dame-Tsuna, maybe he could be just Tsuna to more than Yamamoto-san who called everyone by their first name. He stood up quickly, startling the birds that had surrounded him, and with slow but determined movements started walking towards his home.
Turned out he was not anywhere close so by the time he reached his door he was on the verge of collapsing in exhaustion as the sun sunk low on the horizon. He opened the door and greeted by an odd sight, Yoshimi-san stood shirtless at the bottom of the stairs and he was arguing with a tall man. However what really caught Tsuna's attention was the skull tattoos covering nearly every inch of his otouto's bare chest and arms, there was even one smackdab on the blond's forehead. Not to mention that the tattoos, which he was sure were caused by Reborn-senpai, were talking.
"I don't brush me teeth." Tsuna blushed at the garbled shout he could hear despite the volume Yoshimi-san's voice had gotten to as he screamed at the stranger.
"Ciao-su Dame-Tsuna," Piped up Reborn, who was sitting on the banister of the staircase. This drew all attention in the hall to shift to the mentioned boy. Yoshimi-san's look said he was going to kill him for this when they were alone but it was the stranger's blank expression that left a shiver crawling up his back. "Dame-Tsuna this is Trident Shamal he is a doctor and assassin here to cure Yoshimi."
"Cure Yoshimi-san?" He could not help notice the way his voice broke on the sentence.
"Yes, he has Skull disease and if he is not cured by sunset then he is going to die of embarrassment." The baby said as he twirled his curly sideburn around one finger.
"What?" Tsuna gasped as he turned to the doctor/assassin, and was that not a contradiction, the plain looking man was looking at him with deep golden brown eyes. The boy throw himself into an awkward bow and keeping his eyes down begged. "Please Shamal-sensei, save my… save Yoshimi-san?"
Shamal-sensei did not say anything and when he lifted his head a little to look at the man Tsuna found those eyes were watching him even closer and he wondered if the older brunet had caught his almost slip. He could not let anyone know that Yoshimi-san was his otouto, they might accuse the blond of line theft like Reborn-senpai had threatened to. The doctor/assassin slipped a hand into a pocket of his white coat and Tsuna almost hoped the man was about to shoot him because he could see and hear the blond teen's temper rising.
"Alright," The brunet said after a moment as he drew his hand back revealing a small silver case.
"Now wait a minute!!" Yoshimi-san shouted as he finally came off the stairs and placed himself in front of the man's gaze. "Why would you do it for Dame-Tsuna?"
"Because," Shamal-sensei sneered as he opened the case and drew out a small pill from inside. He flicked his eyes to Reborn-senpai before he creaked the capsule and flipped it into the air. "He asked nicely."
The pill split in two and the hum of a mosquito filled the entry way. Tsuna could only watch his otouto try desperately to avoid the flying insect causing him to slip as his socked feet went different ways on the hall floor. As he fell Yoshimi-san gave a scream as the bug attacked him in the face, leaving a large welt on his left cheek. Slowly the skull tattoos, which had still been shouting awful things, disappeared from the blond's skin.
There was an awful silence in the room as the sun sank below the horizon and Tsuna knew he would regret later his decision to interfere but he could not find it within himself to care as his otouto continued to draw breath. Even the dark look in those blue eyes could not sway his opinion on the matter. Shamal-sensei collected the slightly damaged mosquito and with a look of disdain at Yoshimi-san left the house.
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September 25, 2001 - Japan - Reborn
"You could have warned me." Shamal stated as he took a drag off his cigarette, the smoke snaking from his mouth as he ashed the stick. Reborn turned black eyes onto his companion and raised an eyebrow.
"Could I have? Would you have accepted it without being witness to it first hand?" The toddler asked. He flicked his gaze back out to the silent night sky and waited. The brown haired man cursed under his breath as he too watched the darkness.
"Nah… but it sure was a shock to see a mini Primo walk in the door," The doctor admitted as he dropped his butt and crushed it with the toe of his dress shoe. He stuck his long fingered hand into the pockets of his coat to warm them as the temperature dropped. Late September was chill in the northern part of Japan and even Reborn, who was not affected because of his Flame, had his suit jacket buttoned against the wind. "Why is he not the candidate?"
"Iemitsu…" Reborn growled as he pulled his fedora to cover his eyes more fully. Shamal looked at him out of the corner of his eye and licked suddenly dry lips, it was no secret in the mafia that the C.E.D.E.F. Boss could be cruel and uncaring when he wanted to be. "I think he and Nono locked Tsunayoshi's Flames when he was a child."
"What?!" The doctor exclaimed, his face was rapidly turning red as he turned to face the toddler. Reborn could see the absolute disgust and anger in those brown eyes as the implications settled deep into the man's mind. "Locking someone's Flames is a crime worthy of Vendicare for a reason. That could have, no, should have killed him."
"Yes it should have," The Arcobaleno said with a small frown. He turned back to the doctor causing the 'older' man to shift uneasily at the gleam in his eyes. "You did not even say that you do not treat men. Why did you really treat Baka-Yoshimi?"
"I do not know," Shamal said with a sigh. He pulled out a battered cigarette case from his pocket and looked at it forlornly. "He reminded me of my… Something about that boy's Flames just called to me."
Reborn understood the others feelings, Tsuna's Sky attraction was potent. It did not matter that the majority of time those sickly sweet Flames where locked because there was just something about the brunet that radiated an aura of Sky and every person with even a shred of Flames knew the moment the boy walked into a room. The toddler licked his own lips because he was sure that if Tsuna had not had his Flames locked he would undoubtedly be an extremely powerful Sky.
"What would happen if his Flames where unlocked?" The question slipped past his lips in a whisper. Shamal looked taken aback for a moment before he hunched down into his jacket, the cigarette case disappeared back to its hiding place.
"More than likely… he would die," The doctor replied in a harsh voice. He turned and started to walk away from Reborn but he stopped and looked over his shoulder with one brown eye. "But if he somehow lived and was able to overcome the madness that is sure to follow such trama that boy might be the greatest Sky since Giotto or he might be the worst."
The doctor left Reborn standing in the dark abandoned park but the Arcobaleno did not mind because his 'friend' had left him with more than enough food for thought. A million ideas passed behind his eyes, many of which were immediately disposed of, but a few stood out and spun together until he had the rough outline of an actual working plan. A smile started to creep across his face as he melted into the shadows of the night.
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September 25, 2001 - Japan - Tsuna
Tsuna ran as fast as he could without tripping over his own feet. Behind him he could hear the laughter and pounding steps of his otouto and his gang of followers. He had known it was not safe to leave the house without one of his friends but his kaa-san had needed him to get something from the store. Not that he had ever made it to the market district, no he had been ambushed just blocks from the house and his body ached from the pounding he had taken before he had been able to break free.
The brunet chanced a look behind and instantly regretted because right on his tail was Yoshimi-san. He tripped, the ground rushed up to meet him before he could throw up his arms to protect himself and he smashed his face into the pavement. Above him the ringing laughter grew louder and he scrambled to his knees in an attempt to get up only to be knocked down again as a foot landed on his back.
"Now where did you think you were going?" Yoshimi-san snarled, his breathing coming quick and fast. Tsuna did not dare answer, he was already in bigger trouble because he had run. The gang of teens surrounded the two of them and the brunet could see the blunt weapons that many of them carried. He bit his bloody lip and gave a weak shuddering breath in an attempt to keep from crying, that would only give them more reason to beat him. "Doesn't really matter, does it Yusuke?"
"No boss it don't." The tall bleach blond boy said as he stepped forward, a baseball bat slung over one shoulder.
"Do you see Dame-Tsuna? I am the boss." The natural blond stepped off Tsuna and crouched by his head. The panicking boy tried to curl in on himself to escape what was going to happen. "From now on every time you so much as thing of interfering in my life I want you to remember this night."
The bat sung as it was swung through the air. It struck him full in the side, driving the wind from his lungs. It was like a dam had broken because he was suddenly the victim of many similar weapons. The blows rained down on him with frightening force for long minutes, leaving his entire body bruised and bloody. He was seriously worried that they meant to kill him as the beating carried on.
"Kamikorosu (12)!" Came a voice from the darkness. Tsuna caught a brief glimpse of a bright red disciplinarian armband before a bat struck the back of his skull and he knew no more.
Translation list
1 - Onii-san - Japanese - Older brother
2 - Nami-chuu - Japanese - Namimori middle school
3 - Otouto - Japanese - Little brother
4 -Tai Tai - Japanese - Tailand
5 - Imoto - Japanese - Little sister
6 - Shoji doors - Japanese - Paper doors
7 - Sumimasen - Japanese - Exuse the interuption
8 - Tako head - Japanese - Octopus head
9 - Figlio - Italian - Son
10 - Cugino - Italian - Cousin
11 - Maestro - Italian - Master
12 - Kamikorosu - Japanese - Bit you to death