Xanxus shows several moments of consideration and manages to raise his status in Tsuna's eyes…by doing absolutely nothing. It leaves everyone else completely befuddled.

Chapter 11: The Neighbor Waits


Tsuna woke up to find the toes of his sneakers just barely brushing a thick red carpet. It was sort of hard to breathe what with the way his entire weight was pressed tightly against his hoodie. His struggles to relieve the pressure resulted in his face meeting the carpet. It was softer than he expected but still hurt a bit.

With a groan he pushed himself up to look around. The first thing he noticed were a pair of black pointed shoes as shiny as a beetle's wings. He followed the shiny black shoes up to crisply pressed black slacks and even further up to a black vest atop a charcoal grey shirt with gunmetal grey cufflinks. The bright red tie was the only bold color on the man's entire ensemble. Even the man's hair was black and nearly as shiny as his shoes.

He appeared to be just as wary and confused as Tsuna himself. Then the brunet noticed that there was another presence right behind him. His face lit up when he realized who it was.

"Your majesty!"

Behind him, Yamaguchi struggled not to let his jaw drop. The few servants who had stopped to watch the spectacle didn't fair as well.

Tsuna got up only to execute his usual clumsy bow.

"Stand up straight."

Tsuna stood up as straight as he could. He beamed up at the teen.

"..."

Xanxus stared down at the little boy who continued to fearlessly maintain eye contact with his crimson scrutiny.

Around the room, no one else dared to move or even breathe. Any servant that was in one of the many corridors just outside the entrance hall wisely chose not to enter.

"Follow me. We've got business to discuss." Then his gaze snapped to Yamaguchi who jerked out of his stupor and snapped out a salute instinctively.

"Sir!"

"You. Come with us. The rest of you..." He turned his inspection to the rest of the staff. "Get back to work." It came out as a dark growl that had everyone scrambling to look busy.

From below, the little brunet continued to watch him with awe. So this is what a King was like when he orders his servants around. How thrilling!

The teen looked down and Tsuna realized that the King was expecting him to come without question. Somehow he got the message across that he understood and the King turned and strode away, neither of them saying a word.

At the back of the hall was a wide staircase that split like a T at the top to lead into two different unseen halls. The steps were made of black marble with streaks of white running through it and the rails were thick yet elegantly carved and inlaid with gold.

Tsuna followed Xanxus and the butler (for that was surely what the man was) up the steps, doing his best to keep up while trying to take in everything at once. Which was how he managed to miss the second to last step from the top and tumble back down an entire story's worth of stairs.

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeee!"

His panicked shriek echoed around the hall as he fell and Yamaguchi felt himself moving without thinking, the horror of knowing that he wouldn't make it in time sinking in even as he dashed down the stairs three steps at a time. Visions of the innocent child staring up at the vaulted ceiling with sightless eyes flashed across his mind.

At the bottom floor, the stunned brunet laid on the thick red carpet, winded but still alive.

Tsuna sat up, wobbling a bit. All around him, the servants were approaching and asking him if he was alright, but the child didn't notice. His attention captured entirely by the King waiting at the top of the staircase.

In the moment of when Tsuna was first free-falling, all he could see was the pit of coals, but unlike their first meeting, he thought he could see the faintest of glows coming from one of them. The King hadn't moved since he turned to watch Tsuna tumble back to the bottom. He had continued to watch every movement then and after with those dark crimson eyes. They never showed the slightest hint of concern or scorn, just a steady look that said that he was waiting.

Waiting…that's right! He shouldn't keep the King waiting!

"…alright? Little boy?"

Tsuna blinked back into awareness and realized that the butler was asking him if he was okay.

"Mmm!" He nodded. "Thank you for asking Butler-san!" Because it was only polite to thank people who were concerned for your health.

Then he got up and clambered his way back up the stairs until he made it to the top. The King continued to stare down at him and Tsuna found that he was right. There was definitely a piece of coal that had been lit. It was only one and while there were so many that he couldn't even begin to count them, it was a start.

For a few more seconds, they continued to watch each other, exchanging thoughts in a silent language that only the two of them were privy to. Then Xanxus grunted and turned without word, continuing down the left corridor. Tsuna grinned happily even though he had to jog to keep up with the teen's steady gait.

Yamaguchi, who had trailed behind the child to make sure that they wouldn't have a repeat of the stair incident, could only shake his head in bewilderment. How had the kid not broken his neck or anything else for that matter?

"Ooomph!"

Heart leaping into his throat, Yamaguchi watched as the boy tripped over absolutely nothing only to land flat on his face. Xanxus stopped walking and continued to watch him with the same blank expression that he had when the boy fell down the steps.

With a shake of his head, the brunet was back on his feet and smiling at the boss as if Xanxus had bent down to help him up himself. There was no anger or annoyance from the violent teen either, just a patient acceptance that it would take a bit longer to reach the room than he had originally planned.

Yamaguchi still wasn't sure whether to consider the child as the luckiest or unluckiest person he had ever met. As he watched the clumsy child trip for the third time, he realized that he wasn't going to be able to decide anytime soon either.


Xanxus is making himself out to be a gruff yet not completely callous King in Tsuna's mind. Children are such impressionable beings…

That and this Tsuna is still young and ridiculously optimistic about life because he has yet to earn those depressing nicknames.

Meahwhile, Yamaguchi isn't sure whether he should be having a nervous breakdown or just let himself pretend everything is a dream.