Title: Contract

By: Metamorcy

Rating: M

Pairing: Arcobaleno27, main R27

Disclaimer: Seriously? Don't own, just the idea

A/N: I now have a tumblr account, link is on my profile. You're welcome to go there, see things if you like, or ask me questions. I have a hint to what my next story will be on there. If you like it, let me know and I'll see if I can post it up soon.

I'm just going to leave the review replies here because I'm getting really lazy to opening another window on my computer each and every time. Thanks to everyone that reviewed!

To Aditi Aglaia: Anyone would be curious about Reborn's new found interest. Due to Reborn's character, its seen as odd so its obvious that Fong would want Tsuna to hang around more often to see what Reborn sees. And yes, that add-on to this story is still on going but I can only start it after a certain point so its still a long wait before I get around it.

Beta'ed by WhiteAngel128 and Persephone Crux

Chapter 21

Tsuna didn't know what to do, he had class tomorrow and they were heading to the other world to do a real time battle. Normally, he wouldn't have to do such things since he didn't have an Assurer but now he did, the professors fully expected him to join. But how was he supposed to join when Reborn was still sick? That was the big question and at the same time, how was he supposed to break it to the teachers without them getting all angry at him? That was going to be a toughie, he knew. They didn't even like him in the first place either.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to go alone into that battle field either. That would be terrible…if not dangerous too. He felt like he needed to get help to get himself out of this situation and so he had briefly mentioned it to Fong, hoping the fox would have an answer. But even Fong knew that Reborn shouldn't be getting up soon for obvious reasons. Colonello, however, had other ideas when he had eavesdropped on the conversation and came right up to the brunet with a wide grin.

"Would I work, kora?"

Tsuna blinked, pausing his petting on Fong's fur, enjoying the softness underneath his fingers. The fox had transformed into his beast form and had settled on top of the brunet's lap, cuddling happily like nothing was wrong. He hadn't really wanted to be placed into this situation but after a few pettings and the warm sun that was shining right on the said lap, Fong had given in immediately, lying comfortably across Tsuna with the rest of his body over the couch. His tails twitched now and then when Tsuna went for his ears, rubbing them just right to make him whimper.

When Tsuna had stopped, it took a few seconds for Fong to realize what had happened and easily show his disappointment by unconsciously sinking his ears. He peered up and nudged the tip of his snout into Tsuna's hand, trying to get him to continue but failed. The brunt had his full attention on the blond before him. "Huh?"

Colonello placed his hands onto his hips, still grinning, as he looked down at the two. "I mean I can substitute as Reborn. It shouldn't matter, right?"

"W-Well, I don't know about that. I mean, you're not really contracted to me so wouldn't it be obvious to everyone else?" Tsuna seemed hesitate at the idea, it just sounded like something could go wrong. It was pretty easy for such things to occur too especially considering his luck.

"It should be fine, I won't let myself get caught. If I'm with you and you say that I'm your Assurer, people shouldn't really ask, kora."

Fong decided to intercept seeing as Tsuna was going to protest again and gave a warm comforting smile though it looked odd in his monster form. "I think it sounds alright. Tsuna, please take Colonello with you."

Seeing as there were two people up against him, he sighed reluctantly and then nodded his head in agreement. "Alright then, I'll do it."

Once the statement was passed, Fong rolled, nudging his face into Tsuna's lap, with his tails wrapping around one of pillows. Using his extra appendage, he tossed the item into the brunet, trying to draw his attention to him once more. Tsuna stared down in confusion before smiling, continuing his petting and even reached over to grab a comb to make more of an effort. Fong let out a content sigh, feeling his fur getting stroke just the way he liked it, and closed his eyes, completely in heaven.

Colonello could only stare from his position on the other side, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. "You, Fong are one sly evil creature."

"Why thank you."

"Oh? Sawada, who is this?" One of the teachers spoke up upon seeing the blond beside him. There were various stares from other people around them, whispers breaking out like wildfire, and others commenting, even grumbling, about Tsuna. It was shocking for them to say the least. Tsuna had just gotten his first contract about a week ago and now he had another one? That was amazing.

"I'm Colonello! Just helping Tsuna out, kora." The blond raised his arms behind his head, leaning back slightly before taking another step forward. He didn't want to separate from Tsuna among the crowd as the brunet was already trying to sneak away from the gazes. It was uncomfortable.

"I see…" And that was the end of the conversation, the two following the other class into the portals to head to the other world.

Hana wasn't convinced that easily and strode over with her arms crossed. She raised an eyebrow at the pair and poked the brunet gently. "Hey."

"Oh, Hana." Tsuna gave a warm smile but it still held the nervousness from before and nodded his head in respect. "What are you doing here? I thought that this was a training battle."

"It is but we healers and supporting type Capturers need to remain close by for emergencies. And it's also a training for the newcomers as well. It's to let them see how real battles look like." The brunette huffed, not looking happy about the situation, and pushed a loose strand of hair back. "I mean, seriously, this is a total waste of time. I have better things to do then to just wait around for someone to get injured."

The male just smiled at that, somewhat understanding her position. He looked over at Colonello and then back at Hana, who seemed to be glaring analytically. "Ah, Hana, this is Colonello. He's actually one of Reborn's friends."

"Oh? What happened to this Reborn? Surely he would be here instead of this blond." Hana ignored the slight narrowing of those blue eyes, focusing on the student before her.

"Yes, well, he got sick so I guess Colonello is a substitute?" Tsuna scratched the side of his face, his voice laced with confusion. He didn't know what else to say about the other. "I doubt the teachers would believe me if I were to tell them that my Assurer is ill…"

The female didn't say anything to that, already knowing that that would be the case. There was like some sort of negativity against Sawada and it had already been there since the very beginning of his arrival into the school. No matter, she never did care for idiots. She looked around the area, observing the place that seemed to be some sort of open field, the best for a large battle, and peered towards the newcomers of the school. They were beginners and weren't used to how things occurred in the school so they were at a distance to be able to watch and at the same time, not get involved. The teachers didn't want any misfires.

A Capturer was standing around just in case though and had his Assurer out wondering about. She raised an eyebrow when she caught sight of a group of people that were huddling together. Hana recognized two of them as the two exchange students, Gokudera and Yamamoto, but there were a couple of others, probably the ones they had transferred with. They were glancing towards her and Tsuna's area and she made a momentary glare at them. It was odd that anyone's attention would be focused on their tiny group but she ignored it for now. As long as they didn't bother her, she didn't care and she could tell by the sight of Reborn and this Colonello, they were not people to mess with.

The teachers began to talk, speaking loudly for everyone to hear, trying to catch everyone's attention. Tsuna tried to listen but he eventually tuned it out, shrinking down as if wanting to hide from everyone.

"Come on, Tsuna, you can't wimp out so soon." The blond patted the brunet on the back, trying to cheer him up, and got a small smile in return. "We've just started. And don't worry about me at all, I know how to take care of myself just fine, kora!"

"O-Okay… If you say so, but please be careful." Tsuna nodded his head in agreement but still couldn't help but be worried for some odd reason. He narrowed his eyebrows and watched as the professors stepped out of the open area and into a cave that was hidden somewhat behind some trees. The surrounding area was covered in leaves in one way or another and only darkness could be seen in between the open spaces.

Hana eventually moved to the back with a couple of others while the rest remained where they were at, summoning up their Assurers for their battle. The teachers had explain that it was an open clash with a tribe of Meraviglians that had agreed to do the battle as long as no one was seriously wounded or killed. The reassurance of the healers had obvious tipped the favor over on both sides. What kind of Meraviglians were they? No one truly knew. It was mainly down so that everyone would have a fair playing field, after all, one didn't always get to choose their opponent to go against in real life.

Tsuna peered into the cave from his distance, watching as yellow eyes began to light up in that darkness and the teachers were walking out as if they were talking to someone. Soon they turned to the group, raised their hand up to alert everyone to prepare for battle, and the moment they brought it down, creatures began to pour out of the cave.

There were sudden cries of shock, others out of grossness. Snakes, lots and lots of snakes and they were all slithering out towards them with spears. Tsuna let out a loud screech and took a step back, trying to better examination of his enemy. The creatures were obvious snake-like in appearance but had an upper body of a human. The skin is green in color and the lower half that of a snake tail. Their hair was tied up in various fashions, some long, others short, and were even among the male and female population. Jewelry decorated their upper bodies, some using them as armor and other as fashion statements but it went all ignored as they threw some spears towards the direction of the students.

People began to scatter, Tsuna and Colonello heading off into one direction. The blond sneered, materializing a gun that looked almost like a rifle into one hand, and fired. The spears that had been heading towards their area exploded and splintered in mid-air, leaving them free from the sky attacks but not so much from below.

"Damn, these are Melislitters." The blond yelled out, taking grasp of Tsuna's hand to gain some additional distance. He looked behind to see the snake-like creatures already striking down some of the other students and Assurers. Nothing was fatal however luckily. "They are a battle-loving tribe and have poison barbs in their tails. They are known as mid middle-level class Meraviglians, kora."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked as he was dragged away and then was spun around with Colonello in front of him. He felt the ground rumble for a moment, almost like an earthquake, and tried to balance his feet out. He almost didn't notice a Melislitter sneaking up on him until the blond turned around, spinning his gun around, and slammed the hilt into the stomach. At that moment, the brunet was able to get a better look of the snake-like Meraviglians, noticing the special design on their bodies. The brown color symbolized earth element, that would probably explain the sudden earthquake.

Colonello fired off a few bullets, watching as they exploded in the surrounding area, making sure to hold back to not accidently kill anyone. Some of the enemy backed off, knowing that the blond was far too powerful than he seemed while others began to gather at the thought of a strong opponent. Half the students had already fallen unconscious, many of them being dragged away by the healers to be repaired while others were still trying to keep going. Yells and screams echoed around and people on both sides were running back and forth.

"Man, you guys sure know how to do a battle, kora." Colonello grinned as he kicked one far away, sending it flying a few feet in distance.

"I've never been in one before, I've always been on the side or skipping!" Tsuna yelled out as he was pulled back by his partner when a spear came towards him. The sharp end managed to nick him barely on the arm and it drew some blood, but it wasn't concerning. He looked up at Colonello, offering his thanks before turning back to the field. Many on both sides had fallen and the healers were obviously working overtime. Some were even healing up the Melislitters but that was probably as per agreement.

The blond just laughed, obviously having a blast. "This is great! I should join in more often, kora!" He waved his hand and released a large wave of water towards the Melislitters, shoving all of them back in a giant splash.

"Don't tell me you're one of those battle-loving maniacs!"

"Hey! I am not, kora!"

"Are you sure about that?!"

"Yes, kora!" Colonello just grinned at the frightful expression Tsuna bore and pulled him closer as another spear came towards the younger male. He sent off another wave of water magic, drenching the enemies that came too close. As he looked over the snake-like creatures, he suddenly grinned.

Tsuna, having seen it, could only shiver. He could tell already that the other was up to something and, as they ran further away to gain some more distance, he watched as a blue smoke began to engulf the blond. His eyes widened in realization as Colonello began to transform, and soon a gust of wing sprang out within that smoke, forcing Tsuna to cover his eyes. Slowly, as he reopened them, the brunet found himself staring at the other, looking in wonder. "C-Colonello?"

"Yo, Tsuna!" A giant bird, much like Reborn, but this one was much different. The appearance was that of an eagle but golden in color compared to the white feathers, and its large wings were spread out to reveal more of its massive form. Colonello was hovering over the ground, flapping his wings repeatedly, until he dropped down onto the ground. The sharp claws dug into the dirt, tearing the ground apart and uprooting the grass, and those sharp eyes, blue in color, turned to Tsuna. The regular symbols were there over his body, blue in color to show his attribute. His beak was slightly curved at the end, pointed to show that he could use it to tear apart something.

There was a sense of awe that leveled the battleground and some paused to stare on both sides. Tsuna looked up at the giant bird, twice his size, and blinked as his hair was ruffled from the force of the wings. He repeated his same response from before, "Colonello?"

"That's me! Now get on!" That made the brunet blink again, trying to process what the other had meant. Colonello chuckled at the confusion and leaned down to help the brunet on before immediately taking off into the skies. He sped off in such speed that he was circling the field with ease and was so high up above everyone's attack range. Tsuna clung to the neck, his arms just barely getting around, and screamed loudly when Colonello suddenly dived downward. The Melislitters dashed out of view, many running for cover. It was clear to everyone around that there was fear now in their eyes and Colonello was laughing as he came down, claws out and grabbed one of the snake-like creatures to toss it away. The digging of his talons wasn't deep and zoomed back up into the air.

Tsuna felt his grasp slip again and tried to tighten his hold on the feathers once more, hoping not to suddenly fly off. That didn't sound pleasant at all and the drop didn't look all that nice. Colonello, seeing the struggling the other was having, shrunk his size momentarily to allow a better grasp. The brunet blinked at that. "You can shrink?"

"Of course but only in the other form! It makes things easier like Fong's fox form is normally two to three times that size but he simply makes himself compact in order to get around the house easier." Colonello continued to fly around, knocking the Melislitters off balance, and would make a circle above in the sky to create a magic spell. Glowing lines appeared behind him, the words writing itself until it completed. Soon after, there was a large explosion and water came pouring down, flooding the entire area. Even the students that were within the surrounding spot were drenched but unaffected by the contents. However, the snakes, on the other hand, went spinning around in the massive wave. "Take that, kora!"

The brunet sighed, "You really are having too much fun…"

Soon after, when the battle was announced to be over, the two came flying down. Colonello transformed back into his humanoid form, landing onto his feet just fine, and stretched his arms outwards just in time to caught Tsuna. His grin was bright and massive, looking like a child that had gotten something he had really wanted, and let the human onto the ground with ease. He immediately flexed his arms, trying to get the feeling back into them, and stepped forward on the soaked ground.

Silence, everyone was simply staring even the teachers.

The blond didn't seem to deter from the gazes and patted Tsuna on the back. "Tsuna, next time you do one of these mission things, invite me! It was really fun, kora!"

"It'll most likely be Reborn though since you know." Tsuna shook his head, somewhat amused that the other was actually enjoying himself. "But I guess if there's a need for two Assurers or if Reborn doesn't want to do anything that day, you're more than welcome to come along."

"Great! This was actually a great workout too, kora."

"Only you would think so…"

One of the teachers decided to be brave and went forward, her heels sinking into the ground below. There was a flash of disgust on her expression at that. "Sawada, is this your second Assurer?"

Tsuna tilted his head at that and looked up at Colonello. "Um…yes?" It was more of a question but the teacher ignored it as she folded her arms.

She looked between the two and then nodded her head. It seemed like this woman wasn't going to be drifted off by the blond's good looks unlike everyone else. "I see, alright then. Your schedule will be changed around slightly due to this. You need to be taking classes to either strengthen your bond with your Assurers or classes to toughen your Assurers. As you know, the more you gather, the more classes you take. However, this will take you out of the underclass studies."

To everyone, it meant less bookwork and more hands-on, something everyone seemed to enjoy more. Tsuna simply nodded his head at that, though looked a little pale since it was clear to him that he only had one Assurer, not two. The silence of the class was still there even as the teacher walked away, leaving the brunet to his thoughts. Hana came by and offered him some congratulations before heading off to finish her duties, seeing as many people were still injured on both sides. Even some of the Melislitters slithered by to nod their heads for a show of respect, impressed by the Capturer and the Assurer. No one was badly injured, just either wet or still dizzy from that last attack.

Tsuna was smiling lightly to himself however since changing classes meant he wouldn't have to deal with his bullies as often even when Reborn protected him. And that meant more time he could spend with the other too. So, all in all, it worked out perfectly for him. He peered up at Colonello for a moment and gave a warm smile before pointing off into the distance as if asking if they could go. The blond just shrugged his shoulders and followed along, not minding the fact that Tsuna wanted to go and explore the caverns the Melislitters had come out of. The brunet didn't mention his true intentions but he had wanted to see more of the clothes that the snake-like monsters wore, they looked so interesting and he definitely wanted to draw them out when he got home.

Tsuna, the moment he got back into the dorm, went straight for his sketchbook, drawing everything he could while he still remembered, and zoned pretty much everything else out. He even ignored Reborn's condition during those thirty minutes.

Fong had chuckled in amusement at the sight and peered up at Colonello with a respectful nod. "Welcome back. I hope that everything went well?"

"It did, no one really questioned my identity." The blond wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a glass for some water. He gulped it down soon after, letting out a little sigh in content. "It was actually quite interesting, kora!"

"Really?" The fox chuckled, nursing a cup of tea he had made earlier. "Do tell."

"It was like one of those missions we sometimes take up where we fight against a clan but no one is allowed to kill. So it's just a friendly match. With my skills, Tsuna and I were obviously the ones to wipe out the opponents, kora."

Fong took a long sip, "That's good to hear. So I take it that Tsuna wasn't injured?"

"Of course not!" Colonello huffed, watching as the brunet muttered some words about taking a shower, entering and locking the bathroom door behind. The mud from the water attack, when it had saturated the ground, had gotten onto the brunet's arms and legs by accident when he was been wandering around the cave. "But still, it was an interesting enemy I went up against. It was Melislitters, kora."

"Wait…" Immediately, the fox snapped his head up from his spot, marching over to Colonello in surprise. "Did you say Melislitters? Aren't those snake-like Meraviglians?"

The blond nodded his head at that, not sure on what the other was thinking.

The fox seemed to go silent at that, raising a hand up to his chin to think, before looking towards the bedroom where Reborn was at. Closing his eyes for a moment, he reopened them and made a motioning movement with his other hand, telling Colonello to follow him. He sent a momentary glance towards the bathroom where he could hear the shower going on, Tsuna cleaning himself up after today.

Still, the eagle questioned the sudden change in his friend, "What is it, kora?"

Fong didn't answer and stepped into the bedroom where Reborn was at, who was stirring at their intrusion. The raven rolled around in bed before looking towards them with drowsy eyes and blinked them a couple of times to wake himself up. His appearance was much better, improving each day that past, and there was more color to his skin, a major improvement compared to before. Once the blond stepped in, Fong closed the bedroom door behind and went close to the bed.

Reborn, sensing that something odd was going on, sat up in bed, tossing the cold rag off his forehead. "What is it?"

"Before I…jump to conclusions, Reborn, does Tsuna often have nightmares?" The fox asked, settling down on the side of the bed at the bottom, his expression stern. Colonello was at the top and had raised an eyebrow at the question. He hadn't know about that.

Regardless, the question seemed to make Reborn focus and he narrowed his eyes in return. "Tsuna had another nightmare?"

"So this is a common occurrence?"

"Yes, I normally have to calm him down afterwards. Why do you think I have all my stuff in here? It's not a regular every night thing but it happens once a week, twice the max. It came to the point that I just decided to sleep here with him."

Fong seemed to quiet down at that and peered at Reborn. "He had one last night, he was absolutely terrified. And kept mentioning about giant snakes attacking him."

That information didn't seem all that unusual until Reborn got a look at Colonello's face. That right there told him that something was going on. The blond answered to fill in the raven. "But wait…we just fought against Melislitters, that couldn't have…"

Reborn recognized the name, they were for a tribe of snake… He paused at that, finally getting what Fong had meant and stared. Humming to himself, he thought deeper on the nightmares that had occurred. Now that he thought about it, hadn't there been a nightmare right before when guard tried to break in that day? "Fong, I think you're onto something. Colonello, you saw the battlefield, yes? What would have happened if you hadn't been there to help him?"

At that, the blond narrowed his eyebrows at that, scratching his hair underneath the bandana. "Damn, it would have been bad. He could have been impaled or poisoned or…" He trailed off, his mind already processing what could have actually happened if he hadn't been there to save him. Though Melislitters were honorable Meraviglians, they wouldn't hesitate to attack against someone even when defenseless. The silence settled onto the group of three and they were looking into each other's eyes before nodding in agreement.

"We can't be one hundred percent certain, it could be nothing more than a coincidence. So whenever Tsuna has another nightmare, try to get as much information about it as possible, and let the rest of us know." Fong peered over the other two, perking up slightly when he heard the shower turning off and the doorknob unlocking. It was certain that there was something up with Tsuna that not even the brunet was aware of.

The bedroom door opened up and the human stepped in wearing only a loose pair of jeans and a towel draped over his still-wet hair. He had taken a shower in another room so that he wouldn't wake up Reborn but he would still need to come in for his change of clothes. Peering in, he paused momentarily as he looked over the group of three. "Oh! What are you all doing here?"

Reborn was the first to answer. "Idiot here was going over what happened today."

Tsuna tilted his head at that and smiled. "Oh, okay. I'll start dinner soon. I'm planning on making pineapple curry today with beef. Any requests on the sides?"

Fong smiled, looking like nothing had happened. "Any is good. I believe your cooking will be delicious either way."

"A-Ah…thanks." Blushing a little, the younger man rushed off to get changed, making sure to close the closet door behind him.

Reborn turned back to everyone with a slight glare, whispering, "No one tells him anything."

Late but longer. I was going to cut this into 2 chapters but I'm starting to rush slightly before I begin to lose interest in this story. Anyway, Colonello's form has finally been revealed! An eagle :P