Chapter 1: My Oath
'I'm a no good student, and my brother is a model student. It should always be like that.'
Or so I've always deluded myself to believe as I kept on supporting my brother and mother while my father was off doing whatever he does in another country. I stayed up all night once again, listening to my mother's muffled cries as she wept in her room for my father to come back while my brother was stuck in the hospital after some person wearing a black suit came barging into our home 2 weeks ago claiming that they were mafia and they were instructed to kill the next heirs. Scared out of her wits, my mother fell on her knees begging the man to let us go and to take her instead - the sight tore me from the inside out as the man kicked her aside pointing the gun at me before my older brother ran forward to take the bullet instead. I have hated myself for being so weak ever since then.
'I was a no-good student and my brother was the model student.'
I swear to protect my family and those dearest to me, even if it cost me my whole life, this is my oath. This is my promise. This is my dying will.
"Tsu-kun! It's time to eat!" Nana's voice rang throughout the hallway luring Tsuna out of his dream state causing him to roll over in hopes of catching some more sleep only to fall off the bed.
"oomf!" He felt the back of his head throb as it collided with the wooden floor and he let out a quiet hiss as he pushed himself up. "And I was having such a fantastic dream." He groaned before forcing himself to get ready for another day of school.
Looking over to his window to look at the bright sky but instead, he was greeted by a yellow bird that was perched on a tree branch. "Good morning to you too." He mumbled as he massaged the sore spot on his head. Hearing his mother's humming and the sound of the oil popping, he could not hold back a content smile. He grabbed his uniform before rushing to the bathroom to take a quick shower, brush his teeth, and make sure that he looked presentable before making his way down. Tsuna walked down the stairs rather gracefully until his foot slipped at the edge of the second-last step and he fell down unceremoniously.
"Ouch." He yelped in pain before looking up to be greeted by the reaching hand of his older brother who smiled down at him.
"Good morning Tsuna, I adore how much the stairs love kissing you early in the morning. For your own safety though, you should leave it for someone better before you get permanently injured from such a violent love affair." his brother chuckled as he pulled Tsuna up and gave him a gentle pat on the head. Playfully rolling his eyes at his brother's antics Tsuna pouted which caused Tetsuya to laugh.
"Why are you so early Tetsu-nii?" Tsuna asked, raising a curious brow at his older twin as he took a seat. He picked up his chopsticks and he smiled gratefully at Nana, who beams at him in reply.
"I'll be walking to school with my friends. Would you like to join us Tsuna? You do know you're always welcome right? Remember that we're twins and I'm just what? 20 minutes older than you?" Tetsuya nudged his brother's foot lightly under the table, urging Tsuna to join him and his friends causing his heart to swell in joy and warmth.
"No thank you, I'd feel like an intruder if I join your group so suddenly." Tsuna replied with a pout and Tetsuya just chuckled and waved his hand in dismissal.
"Yea, I figured that you'd want to be alone. But seriously, don't you get bored or lonely just sitting or walking alone? If I were you I'd die of boredom already." He whined and began to munch on his food.
"You wouldn't understand the joy of silence Tetsu even if you tried." Tsuna replied in amusement and Tetsuya blinked before barking out a laugh.
"You're absolutely right, I don't understand it at all!" Tetsuya then started choking on his food and Tsuna couldn't help but laugh silently at his brother as he passed him a glass of water. Tetsuya flipped his middle finger as he chugged the glass of water Tsuna had given him. Rolling his eyes at his brother in annoyance, Tsuna gently kicked his brother's foot under the table as a warning before he continued to eat his own share quietly. Tetsuya slammed his cup down and shot his brother a playful glare before they broke out in quiet giggles.
"You two better hurry up or you'll be late." Their mother's voice cut in making their heads whip over to look at the clock and they immediately stuffed their faces with food, gulped down a glass of water and rushed out of the front door.
"Tetsu, are you gonna run to school without shoes on? It isn't a bad idea but your feet stink like rotten eggs sometimes." Tsuna asked out loud causing Tetsuya to cuss as he ran back to grab his shoes from his brother's grasp - saying a quick 'thanks little bro, love you' and flipped another middle finger at his brother before running off to catch up with his friends.
Tsuna smiled at his older brother's running figure as his heart swelled in warmth before turning to put his own shoes on and bid his mother goodbye. Tsuna walked to school at his own pace which meant he could immerse himself with his own thoughts and at the same time be painfully aware of the whispers and the footsteps following him.
His intuition blared in urgency and he began to quicken his pace. Clicking his tongue in annoyance Tsuna turned to the nearby alleyway and steeled himself to deal with another threat to his life yet again.
Bloodstained hands are nothing as long as I can protect those whom I treasure most.