Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano. The Gamer belongs to SangyoungSeong and Sang-a.
Warnings: Violence and fake parental verbal abuse. Kinda Iemitsu-bashing, via a kid that has no idea what's happening.
…...
Tsuna thought that Sasagawa Ryohei was very extreme. There wasn't really many other ways to accurately describe him.
He hadn't had a chance to check Sasagawa's LV, as Sasagawa always ran past him so fast that his display was a blur. Tsuna only knew that it was Sasagawa because everyone knew of his obsession with boxing. And his habit of yelling extreme.
Of course, because Tsuna's life is messed up beyond all repair, the first time Tsuna actually meets meets Sasagawa Ryohei Tsuna is too exhausted to check his LV.
Tsuna had just finished his first "spar" with Hibari. It wasn't really a spar but a brutal beatdown. Tsuna had actually gained six levels to Physical Endurance in a third as many hours. He had also realized just how helpful it was to have food restore your HP. Tsuna had a mild suspicion that the snack box his Mama had made was the sole reason he wasn't dead right now. He really needed to learn how to cook.
That wasn't to say that it wasn't fruitful. Hibari had played around with exactly how many HP he could make people lose with one strike to certain areas and with varying strengths. At least, that's what Tsuna thought he was doing. Tsuna himself had gained a LV and a skill, [Basic Dodge]. He had laughed hysterically when he saw that. Hibari had hit him harder.
As a result, Tsuna was in an exhausted haze as he trudged back home that Sunday. It felt like his body was one big, throbbing bruise, and Tsuna figured he'd probably spend almost all day tomorrow in bed, aside from helping Grandma.
Hibari was insane. Tsuna had half-thought the whole thing "spar" thing some kind of weird joke until Hibari started swinging at him. When Tsuna had gotten enough of his breath back he'd asked Hibari why. Hibari had replied that he didn't want to be held back by Tsuna's herbivorous tendencies so he was training Tsuna to be a carnivore. Tsuna had gawked at Hibari for all of two seconds before Hibari had buried a tonfa in Tsuna's face.
"Training? As if," Tsuna mumbled under his breath. "He just wanted to beat me up…"
"That sounds EXTREME!" a loud voice yelled right next to his ear. Tsuna jumped, startled, but before he could see the name and level of the boy in front of him his hand was grabbed and his entire body was being shaken with the force of his hand being pumped up and down.
"I'm Sasagawa Ryohei! I'm EXTREMELY into boxing. We should EXTREMELY train together sometime! It would be EXTREME!" yelled the boy. Then he ran off.
Tsuna blinked, hand still out in front of him, uncertain as to what had just happened. Then he groaned and rubbed his eyes. Tsuna really needed something to eat, and probably some bruise cream.
…
Tsuna was very, very thankful this gamer thing allowed pain to go away quickly. It was probably the only reason he was not stuck in bed like he thought he would be. Even so, Tsuna needed to find a better way to heal himself, and quickly. He couldn't always rely on Mama to make him snacks. And Hibari had warned him that trying to run away would only make things worse.
Tsuna needed to find a way to heal that wasn't Mama's snacks or Grandma's first aid. Food seemed to be the best answer, but it was unreliable.
Tsuna narrowed his eyes in thought. If food was best, but he couldn't rely on Mama, then he needed to become good at cooking too.
With that thought in mind, Tsuna walked downstairs to where Mama was doing some cleaning. "Mama?" he asked.
"Yes, Tsu-kun?"
"Can you teach me how to cook? And make snacks?"
Mama seemed surprised at first, then her eyes grew big and she squealed. "Oh, Mama's Tsu-kun is so cute! Of course Mama will teach you! Both cooking and baking!"
Tsuna blinked at her. She seemed to interpret that as a question.
"Oh, there's a difference between cooking and baking. Cooking is making things like steak and udon. Baking is making things like cakes and bread!"
Tsuna blinked again and decided to just go with it. There was no arguing with her when she was in this mood.
…
That was how Tsuna ended up carrying a basket with freshly baked muffins and cupcakes to the next dungeon run he had with Hibari. It had taken him forever to get to the stage anything he made was edible, and most of the creations in the basket were his Mama's. Still, they smelled nice.
That was probably what attracted the attention of Sasagawa Ryohei.
"HEYYY!" someone yelled.
Tsuna looked up. A boy slightly older than him was standing in front of him in what looked like work-out gear and a bright smile. The boy had white hair and a thin scar by one eye.
"You're the kid with the extreme training! I extremely didn't get your name last time," the kid said.
"S-Sawada Tsunayoshi," Tsuna said as he glanced at the kid's head. "Sasagawa Ryohei Extreme Boxer LV 8" it read.
"Extreme!" said Ryohei. "Hey! Is that cake?"
Tsuna looked at the basket. "Er, a little?" If cupcakes counted.
"My little sister extremely likes cakes! You should extremely come over sometime! We could train and she could have cake! It would be extreme!"
He had a little sister? Wait, did that mean….
"Ah! My little sister's name is Kyoko!"
Sasagawa Kyoko. Tsuna thought that she was the sweetest girl in the whole town. Kyoko always smiled at everyone, even Tsuna.
And she was the little sister of this guy? Did Kyoko have a hidden crazy side?
Still, Tsuna would love to see her smile again. If that meant going over to Ryohei's place, well… If he could survive Hibari, he could survive Ryohei.
Ryohei beamed when Tsuna agreed to come over later. He would have insisted that Tsuna come over now, but Tsuna said he was going to Hibari's place.
"You're friends with that extremely violent guy? Extreme! I knew you were an extreme guy Tsuna!"
Ryohei turned to go. "You should extremely come over tomorrow! To the Extreme!" he yelled as he ran off.
Tsuna noted to himself that he needed to get Mama to teach him more cake recipes. After the dungeon run Hibari was planning, he'd go on another marathon baking session, see about raising his level. Assuming he survived.
With that chilling thought, Tsuna went to go meet his doom-er, Hibari.
…
Luckily for Tsuna, Hibari seemed more interested in beating up monsters than Tsuna. He took particular delight in beating up the rats. Tsuna shivered as he watched a particularly vicious looking rat go flying. It was times like these that Tsuna appreciated that Hibari wasn't interested in killing Tsuna. If he was, Tsuna would never be able to stop him.
Still, Tsuna could admire Hibari's efficiency and grace when he was fighting. Apparently leveling up gave him a better appreciation of fighting skills, because Tsuna could now see clearer now how good of a fighter Hibari was. Leveling up, or being under the mercy of those fierce blows.
Tsuna also thought that Hibari never looked so alive, or so happy, as he did when he was fighting.
Hibari was smiling right now, as he smashed a rat's face in. It was, albeit, a bit more like a smirk then an actual smile, but it was far happier than Tsuna normally saw him. Tsuna wondered at this.
As they were walking, Tsuna glanced over at Hibari. As he did so, he realized that walking was the wrong word to describe what Hibari was doing. Stalking was what Hibari was doing, intent upon hunting down some creature only he could see. Tsuna wondered how a person could look like that.
"Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked.
"Hn."
"How can you look like that? Like you're stalking something," he quickly added as Hibari sent him an irritated glance. "Like you're happiest beating things up."
"It is because I am a carnivore," Hibari said.
Tsuna would've asked more, but Hibari was already striding ahead to the entrance of the next dungeon. Besides, Tsuna thought he could almost understand.
…
All in all, Tsuna thought that the dungeon run went extremely well. Having learned the patterns of the monsters they'd face, Hibari and, to a lesser extent, Tsuna were able to defeat their enemies quickly and with much less property damage than last time. Hibari seemed almost disappointed by that.
Maybe as a reward, Tsuna was able to find and collect a lot more loot than last time. The rats gave him teeth as always, but also bits of fur. The dungeon which shall not be named gave him pieces of cockroach exoskeleton, a crafting material. After about five seconds of freaking out and subsequently getting hit by Hibari on the head, Tsuna realized that the exoskeleton pieces might make decent armor. In the name of not getting hurt, and preventing Hibari from getting hurt again, Tsuna took the exoskeleton pieces and resolved to learn how to sew.
It was the haunted house that gave him the most though. Tsuna discovered as he pushed over a dresser to get to a ghost that he could loot things like drawers for items contained within. Tsuna had wanted to investigate more, but Hibari was fighting the boss, a black slime monster called "Amalgamation of Unhappiness" and Tsuna had to help him. And then Hibari wanted to just go on to the next dungeon, so Tsuna had to come back after Hibari had destroyed the dungeon that will not be named and gone home.
Tsuna had looted all the drawers he could. The upstairs ones had held mostly moldy scraps of fabric, a crafting material with a poor rating, but also a few shirts and pieces of dusty jewelry. Tsuna thought that if he cleaned up the jewelry he could give it to Mama. There was also money everywhere, and Tsuna was very happy to see this. He couldn't keep stealing bottles from Mama's cupboards.
The downstairs held even more. Tsuna picked up more scraps of fabric but also wooden spoons and spatulas and even a frying pan. The best part was when Tsuna found a pair of knitting needles that weren't broken. Grandma had told him that she could teach him to knit, if he was interested. With his own needles he wouldn't be dependent on Grandma or Mama to lend him theirs. Maybe he could knit some kind of armor.
…
Mama was, as Tsuna had thought, delighted that Tsuna wanted to bake a cake for a girl. She bustled about the kitchen, grabbing this and that to add to Tsuna's cake. Even the fact that the first batter was ruined and the second one burnt could stem her happiness.
Eventually, the third one turned out alright. Tsuna managed to make a basic sugar frosting for the cake, and Mama cut up a strawberry to go on top for decoration. Mama called it the cutest little cake ever and shooed Tsuna out the door with a "Be sure to smile at her, honey!"
It only took Tsuna a few minutes to walk to the Sasagawa residence. He was surprised it was so close, but then, they did go to the same school.
It looked like an ordinary house. There was nothing outside to suggest it was the house of a boxing maniac and an angel. Tsuna swallowed. For a moment he wanted to run away. Just last week he was Dame-Tsuna; how could even think of doing this. Still, he remembered Hibari, and how he looked almost proud the first time Tsuna had managed to dodge correctly. He remembered Mama and how happy she was helping Tsuna make his cake. He remembered Grandma, who had patted him on the head the last time Tsuna had talked to her. He could do this.
Tsuna quickly reached out and hit the doorbell before his courage could desert him.
"Yes?" a soft voice asked from within. There were a few quiet footsteps and then Kyoko opened the door.
Tsuna was startled, temporarily forgetting how to talk. He couldn't believe Kyoko would open the door. He was prepared for Ryohei, not her.
"H-h-h-here," Tsuna stammered out, handing her the basket. "Eh?" she said as she accepted it.
Tsuna blushed and ducked his head. "R-R-Ryohei i-invited me over. H-he mentioned t-that, ah, y-you liked cake. S-so I m-made some," he mumbled.
"Oh, really?" Kyoko said. "Thank you! You must be Sawada Tsunayoshi. Onii-san mentioned you." She beamed at him. "Oh, but I hope he wasn't a bother. Honestly, he can be so demanding sometimes. Sorry if he bothered you."
"H-he didn't, not really." Tsuna gave her a small smile. She smiled back. "Well, Onii-san ran out about an hour ago, but we can eat the cake while we wait for him, if you want to."
Tsuna just nodded. He couldn't believe how lucky he was, getting invited into Kyoko's house, by Kyoko herself.
Kyoko's house was surprisingly like his own. It was an ordinary house with pictures on the walls of family outings to the zoo or the beach, flowers in a pot on the kitchen counter, and a simple TV in a room with a couch. Kyoko led him into the kitchen and gestured for him to sit down at the table while she got plates and silverware.
As he watched her set out the plates, Tsuna couldn't help but feel he had made a huge mistake. What if the cake tasted bad? What if it had fallen apart on the way here? What if-
Kyoko unwrapped the cake and sighed in happiness. "It's so cute!" she said. She… didn't seem to be faking it. Tsuna just thought it looked like a cake, but if she was happy….
Kyoko cut out two pieces, one for him and one for her. "Uwahh," she said as she put a piece in her mouth. "It tastes gooood."
"R-really?" said Tsuna. "A-ah, I'm glad." He had worked very hard on it, and it was worth it to see Kyoko's smile.
Wait, if Kyoko's brother was super strong, did that mean Kyoko was super strong too? Tsuna glanced up at her LV. "Sasagawa Kyoko Classmate LV3"
Tsuna wasn't sure if he felt happy or disappointed. On one hand, he was very glad Kyoko wasn't a maniac, on the other hand he felt oddly unhappy about it. Then he remembered Hibari's snarl as he threw a gigantic rat across the room, and the insane strength Ryohei had used to shake his hand with.
Tsuna decided to be happy Kyoko was normal.
"Ne, Tsunayoshi-san?" Kyoko asked.
"A-ah, yes?" Tsuna hoped she hadn't caught him staring. That would be so embarrassing.
"You are friends with Hibari-san, right?"
That… was a good question. According to the gamer thing he was, but… did friends really ruthlessly beat other friends up? Still, he didn't really have anyone else that could be called a friend so…
"I-I guess so."
"Then, don't you worry?"
Tsuna looked at her blankly. "About Hibari-san," she clarified. "I always worry about Nii-san when he fights, because he has gotten really hurt before. Don't you try to stop Hibari-san?"
Ah-ha-ha. Hibari would murder him if he tried.
Still, Tsuna remembered the look on Hibari's face as he went after his "prey", and the grace of which he had attacked.
"H-Hibari-san is a fighter," Tsuna started slowly. "I-I mean, he really, really likes fighting. It's what he is good at. I don't think I would be a good friend if I tried to stop that. B-but still, I do worry, a-about him getting h-hurt." Tsuna had had nightmares where he couldn't stop the monster rat from killing Hibari. "T-that's one reason I am learning First Aid." Among other ways to heal. "S-so that next time, I can heal him when he gets hurt." Tsuna hoped that that never, ever happened, but he knew that it was most likely a matter of time.
Kyoko looked almost… regretful at his answer. She seemed to be thinking over something as she chewed her cake. "Ne, the next time you go to your lessons… can I come?" she asked.
"E-eh?" Tsuna was surprised. "I-if you want to." He didn't mind and he didn't think Grandma would. She always seemed unhappy that none of the other kids ever helped out like he did.
Kyoko beamed at him. "Great!" She said.
Then there was a slight rumbling the grew louder, as well as a shout of "EXTREEMMEE!"
"Oh dear, Nii-san's back," said Kyoko.
Tsuna suddenly felt apprehension. He had completely forgotten about the boxing maniac.
"A-ah, maybe I should get going-" Tsuna started but before he could finish Ryohei burst in through the door.
"EXTREME! You're here, Sawada-san! Then we can extremely train some more, until we are truly EXTREME MEN!"
Tsuna looked at Sasagawa Ryohei, and realized that not only was Ryohei extremely loud, his eyes also seemed to be on fire. With that revelation, he thought he could vaguely hear a dying animal. A second later he realized that the sound was coming from him.
Luckily, Kyoko didn't seem to notice. "Onii-san, don't cause trouble for others," she scolded.
"Ah! Sorry Kyoko! I mean, will you extremely train with me Sawada-san! As an Extreme Man!" yelled Ryohei.
Tsuna didn't want to. However, he couldn't miss the almost pleading tone in Ryohei's voice, or the way Ryohei's eyes almost begged him to say yes.
Tsuna felt his resolve crumple. "O-okay," he said, weakly.
Kyoko looked surprised, but Ryohei gave him a smile so bright it seemed to be as blinding as the sun. As Tsuna blinked away sun-spots Ryohei launched forward and gave him a sweaty hug. Then he grabbed Tsuna and pulled him away to the backyard.
"Sawada-san! What extreme training do you do with Hibari-san?" Ryohei asked.
"A-ah, um, he mostly just tries to hit me and I try to dodge." Hibari succeeded a lot more than Tsuna did, that was for sure.
"Extreme! How do you extremely fight back?"
"Er… I don't."
"Why not? It's the best part of any Extreme training."
"I, um, don't know how," Tsuna admitted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"EXTREME! You truly are an EXTREME MAN, fighting even without knowing how!"
"E-eh?" Tsuna was waiting for Ryohei to call him unextreme, not this.
"Ah! But then you can't even get to the extremely best part!" said Ryohei, apparently forgetting Tsuna was there.
"I know!" Ryohei put his hands on Tsuna's shoulders. "SAWADA TSUNAYOSHI! I WILL EXTRMEMELY TEACH YOU HOW TO FIGHT!"
…
It took a while for Tsuna's ears to stop ringing. It took even longer for him to snap out his apparent state of shock.
Tsuna had never thought that Ryohei would decide something like that.
But it was okay that Tsuna was incapable of doing anything other than standing there as Ryohei, overcome with excitement, had started running around grabbing random things and punching the air.
The only thing worse was that a sign had popped up. "Quest Alert! Learn from Sasagawa Ryohei the basics of fighting! Learn and perform ten times a [Basic Punch]. Reward: +50XP, increase reputation with Sasagawa Ryohei and Sasagawa Kyoko. Failure: decrease reputation with Sasagawa Ryohei and Sasagawa Kyoko."
Tsuna whimpered.
…
"…And that is how you throw an extreme punch!"
Tsuna blinked at Ryohei, then looked at the fist Ryohei had extended into the air.
"U-um, what?" Tsuna had understood that boxing was an extreme sport, something about Greeks and manly men, then passionate training and fingers.
Ryohei didn't mind. He just cheerfully grabbed Tsuna's hand, formed it into a fist and yanked it forward in an imitation of a punch. Tsuna yelped as he was nearly pulled off his feet.
"And that is how you throw an extreme punch!" Ryohei repeated. "Now you try!" Tsuna gave him an unbelieving look. Ryohei interpreted that "I still don't get it" and yanked his arm again.
Tsuna thought that if Ryohei yanked on his arm again he might pull it off. It was starting to hurt. So he screwed up his face and thrust his fist forward.
"Extremely good!" Ryohei yelled. "But you need to Extremely put all your strength into it. Like your extremely trying to punch through!"
Tsuna tried to punch again, harder.
"Extreme! That's how you extremely do it, Sawada-san!" Ryohei yelled happily. He clapped Tsuna on the shoulder so hard he knocked Tsuna into the dirt. This had the added benefit of distracting Tsuna from the new orange pop-up, saying "Congratulations! You have learned a new skill, [Basic Punch]. [Basic Punch] is now LV1."
"Now we extremely practice TO THE EXTREME!"
Tsuna looked up at Ryohei from the ground in terror. Between Hibari and this guy, Tsuna would be headed for an early grave.
"C'mon!" Ryohei yanked Tsuna off the ground, completely oblivious to his whimpers.
…
Tsuna hoped Mama wouldn't be to mad at him when he came home late and covered in dirt.
He suspected it would be a much more common occurrence now that Sasagawa Ryohei was listed under "Friends" in his Social tab.
"Here, Sawada-san. I cleaned the plate the cake was on for you and put it in the basket," Kyoko said, handing Tsuna the basket. Tsuna smiled at her, too tired to be embarrassed.
"Thank you," he said.
"Oh, no, thank you! I loved your cake! Will you becoming over again?"
Tsuna hesitated. On one hand, he was terrified of Ryohei. On the other hand, Kyoko. Kyoko looked wistfully back at the house. "Ryohei would love to see you again. I don't think I've seen him that happy in a long time." She seemed… almost sad. Dang it.
"I-I'll come again," Tsuna said.
Kyoko turned to him with such a brilliant smile Tsuna felt his own mouth lift up in response. "Oh, thank you so much!" she said. Then she turned almost bashful. "In that case, may I call you Tsuna-kun?" she asked.
"S-sure!" Tsuna squeaked, overjoyed. He hadn't imagined something as wonderful as this happening. And as he walked his way home, Tsuna felt so happy and light it seemed he could fly.
The fact that Sasagawa Kyoko was also now listed under "Friends" on his Social tab was icing on the cake.
…
Stupid, stupid, stupid! Tsuna thought as he stood in front on the Sasagawa house. Sure Kyoko had asked to go with him the next time he went to Grandma's house, but it wasn't like she actually meant it or something like that. She was probably just humoring him.
He almost turned and walked away, but then he thought, what if Kyoko did mean it? What if she really wanted to go?
Tsuna swallowed. Only one way to find out. Just like the day before, Tsuna shakily and quickly hit the doorbell.
Once more he waited a few minutes before Kyoko opened the door. "Oh, Tsuna-kun! Hello, what are you doing here?"
"H-hello, um, you mentioned going to Grandma's house..?" Tsuna stuttered.
"Oh, of course!" Kyoko smiled brightly. "Let me get my shoes and then we can go."
It only took a few minutes before Tsuna and Kyoko were walking down the path to Grandma's house. Suddenly Kyoko turned to Tsuna. "Is she nice?" Kyoko asked.
"H-huh?" Tsuna asked.
"Is Grandma-san nice?" Kyoko asked again.
"A-ah, yes. She's always been nice to me," Tsuna answered.
"Good! I hope we become great friends," Kyoko said. And they continued along in a more comfortable silence.
…
"Good morning Tsuna!" Grandma said. "Oh, who is this you've brought with you? A friend?"
"Ah, yes! This is Sasagawa Kyoko. She wants to learn first-aid too. Kyoko-chan, this is Grandma," Tsuna introduced them.
"Nice to meet you!" said Kyoko.
"It's nice to meet you too, dear," Grandma said, but there was something off about her smile. It seemed to Tsuna that it was almost as if Grandma wasn't sure how to treat Kyoko.
"Come in, come in," Grandma said. "I have tea. Tsuna, would you go and get my first-aid kit? I think I left it upstairs."
Tsuna was uncertain. Grandma had never left it upstairs before, but she had asked him. Tsuna nodded and walked upstairs. Like he thought, it wasn't where it should be upstairs. As he was walking back down to tell Grandma, he heard talking and his name. Tsuna slowed to a stop and listened.
"About how long have you known Tsuna?" Grandma asked.
"Oh, I've seen him around forever, but I only really met him yesterday. My brother knows him better than I do."
"I see. Then we have you come to me to learn first-aid?" It sounded like Grandma was interrogating Kyoko.
"W-well I was talking to Tsuna-kun yesterday and we started talking about his friend, Hibari-san. He mentioned that one reason he was learning first-aid was because he knew Hibari-san liked fighting and he wanted to be able to patch Hibari-san up after each fight." Here Kyoko paused. "My brother also really likes fighting, and in the past he once got really hurt. I made him promise not to get into fights like that anymore, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't have, if Onii-san would be happier if he could fight freely. So I want to learn first-aid to be able to help my brother and make him happier."
"Ah. Then what are your intentions toward Tsuna?"
Again, Kyoko paused. Tsuna felt his heart speed up. Did she not like him? Did she think he was a dork?
"I don't know Tsuna very well, but it seems to me like he's a really great guy. He really cheered Onii-san up yesterday, and he keeps his word. I'd like to be his friend."
Tsuna felt like dancing in the middle of the hallway. She liked him. Kyoko really liked him.
"And if Tsuna gets into trouble? If he gets hurt?" Grandma asked.
"Then I want to be able to help him." Kyoko said firmly.
"Even if he seems to be a colossal dork sometimes? Or acts strange? Will you still stand by him?"
"Even then." Kyoko said. It sounded like a promise.
"Remember that," Grandma said. Then she raised her voice. "Tsuna! I found the first-aid kit. You can come down."
Tsuna realized with a start he had been eaves-dropping. He decided to just not mention the conversation he had just overheard. It seemed private. He went downstairs and joined up with Kyoko and Grandma.
…
Tsuna and Kyoko said their goodbyes to Grandma. She gave each of them a wave and told Kyoko that she was welcome to join Tsuna's first-aid lessons with her. Grandma seemed so warm towards Kyoko that it was like earlier's chilliness was just a forgotten memory.
Kyoko cheerfully agreed and she and Tsuna walked off together. After Tsuna had walked Kyoko to her home, he headed home himself.
As he walked, Tsuna thought about the conversation he had overheard. Kyoko seemed really protective of her brother. Tsuna wondered what would happen if she, or her brother, were caught in one of the dungeons. He didn't think he could protect either of them if they did. That felt like… a betrayal. A betrayal of the trust Kyoko had shown in him. Tsuna needed to get stronger. He didn't want anyone to get hurt like Hibari did.
Well, the game guides did say that "grinding" or repeating an action over and over again raised LVs.
Tsuna started punching the air, repeating his [Basic Punch] on the way home.
…
"What?" Tsuna asked.
"Kyoko said that since you're such an EXTREME guy, that can EXTREMELY patch me up if I get hurt, I can EXTREMELY fight when you are around," Ryohei yelled happily. He seemed even more excited than normal, yelling his extreme's even louder. Tsuna didn't know that was possible.
But, more importantly, what was he going to do? Today was a dungeon day with Hibari. Hibari would kill Ryohei if Ryohei prevented him from going. Tsuna would have to back out as quickly as possible.
"Um, sorry, but I'm meeting Hibari-san…"
"EXTREME! Where at?"
"Er, his house-"
That was all the invitation Ryohei needed to grab Tsuna's arm and start running for Hibari's house. Tsuna was afraid that he was becoming slightly too used to the unusual because his primary thought was How in the world did Ryohei know where Hibari's house was!?
…
"Herbivore," Hibari addressed Tsuna. "Why is he here?"
"He" was currently running around yelling "Extreme!" at the top of his lungs.
"I-er-he-he kinda just grabbed my hand and ran…" Tsuna said before he watched Hibari raise a tonfa to get rid of Ryohei.
"B-but now that he's here, we can go to different dungeons, right? More dangerous ones," Tsuna said hurriedly. He did not want Hibari to injure Ryohei on a day Tsuna was supposed to protect Ryohei.
Hibari paused, clearly contemplating the pros and cons of the situation. Finally he lowered his tonfas. "Herbivore," he said, turning to Tsuna. "Explain to the loud herbivore what we are doing. If he messes up…" Hibari raised a tonfa.
Tsuna gulped. "Hey, Ryohei…" Tsuna started. He didn't want to get beat up today, before the dungeons and have to use up all his snacks beforehand.
…
"I knew you were extreme, Sawada-san, but now I know you are truly an EXTREME MAN!" Ryohei yelled joyfully. Tsuna winced a bit at the noise, glancing towards where Hibari strode a few meters in front of them, just out of "crowding" range. Luckily, Hibari didn't seem too bothered.
It was funny, but Tsuna found it easier to tell Ryohei about his ability when Hibari was closer. Maybe he found Hibari comforting…?
Tsuna shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. Nope, nada, not happening. He must find it easier because there was nothing scarier than confiding in Hibari. Yes, that was it. If he ever actually found Hibari comforting…
It would clearly be a sign of Tsuna going insane.
"What if you extremely click on them?" Ryohei asked enthusiastically, gesturing at the now-visible bright yellow display he had.
"What?" asked Tsuna, coming back to the real world. Ryohei happily repeated his question.
Tsuna blinked at him. "What do you mean, click on them?"
"It's an extreme internet game, right? So you can extremely click on anything to the extreme!"
Tsuna was pretty sure that this was real life, not the internet, but… since when did logic apply to his life anymore? Besides, didn't the map symbols say something when he touched them?
He shrugged and "clicked" on an item in his inventory, the knitting needles. "Old Knitting Needles, Tool . These probably belonged to someone a long time ago. Now they are just gathering dust. +1 to Arts and Crafts skills when equipped. Required for the Knit skill."
Well, that was cool. Tsuna wondered what else he could "click" on. He could probably click on anything in his Inventory, and to either side of that was Social and… Passive Effects.
Tsuna's breath hitched. The Seal. Maybe he could click on the seal.
With bated breath Tsuna clicked on Passive Effects and located IX's Seal. He hesitated a second before clicking on it.
"IX's Seal: -50% all abilities. -50% all experience gain," it read. "Also seals all Vongola and Sky abilities. Placed on Sawada Tsunayoshi by Vongola Nono at the request of Sawada Iemitsu."
Placed on Sawada Tsunayoshi by Vongola Nono at the request of Sawada Iemitsu.
Placed on Sawada Tsunayoshi by Vongola Nono at the request of Sawada Iemitsu.
Tsuna's own father had wanted Tsuna useless.
…
Tsuna hadn't felt his legs give out. He was only vaguely aware of Ryohei shaking him back and forth. It was only when Hibari smashed him upside the head with a tonfa did Tsuna remember where he was.
Tsuna blinked up at Ryohei and Hibari.
"Sasagawa-san! What's the EXTREME problem!?" That was Ryohei.
"Herbivore. What happened?" That was Hibari.
"Th-the seal… I-I… m-my father," Tsuna's voice broke. "My father asked for me to be sealed."
Hibari immediately understood. Ryohei, who hadn't heard about it, looked confused. He was about to open his mouth to ask what that was when Hibari smacked him and pulled him away, allowing Tsuna to gather himself while Hibari gave the bare bones to Ryohei.
Tsuna focused on breathing in and out, in and out, like he always did when he was in pain. He didn't understand why his father would do something like that. Weren't fathers supposed to love their children, to want the best for them?
Tsuna felts tears prickle at the corners of his eyes. He quickly rubbed them out. Tsuna didn't want to cry here, in front of his friends, not over that- that- that no-good waste of a man.
"Tsunayoshi," Hibari said. "If you wish to return later, I do not mind waiting a day."
Tsuna inhaled sharply, and shook his head. If he went back now, he'd have to face the house that his father had bought and left him and Mama alone in. He'd have to face the pictures on the walls and all the little reminders that there was supposed to be another person there.
Tsuna didn't think he could bare it.
Tsuna didn't think he could just sit there and think about how his father had thrown him away. He had to do something to get his mind off of things. The dungeon would do it.
Tsuna pushed himself to his feet. "Let's go," he said, and was proud at how his voice didn't crack.
…
The dungeon entrance was a dilapidated gate to the town's graveyard. Beyond the gate the foggy mist swirled, concealing the insides of the dungeon. Tsuna knew that the graveyard didn't actually look that way, but he was too angry to care. He took the lead and pushed his way inside.
He was vaguely aware of Hibari and Ryohei heading off in different directions, but Tsuna went straight down the middle. The blood was pounding in his head and he couldn't think straight. All he could see was his father. His father looking at him with uncaring eyes. His father saying "Tsuna" like Tsuna was the dirt beneath his shoes.
"Tsuna, can't you listen?" his father said.
"D-dad?" Tsuna squeaked, looking in front of him at his father.
Tsuna's father clicked his tongue irritation. "Finally. Can't you listen boy?"
"I-I-I," Tsuna stuttered at the man that had abandoned him, had cursed him. "W-why?"
Iemitsu snorted. "Like you can't guess. All I wanted was some fun with a pretty young woman. I'd bring her with me around the world, just like in an adventure book. But then she got pregnant, with you. You can't bring a baby anywhere! Still, if I couldn't get rid of you, I could at least make sure I never had to see you. Fathers always have to be there when their children do something good, so if you were useless, I would never need to go to a little back-water town in the middle of nowhere." Tsuna's father sneered. "You were probably going to be useless anyways, I was just making sure."
"N-no," Tsuna whispered. "NO, YOU'RE WRONG!" He yelled.
His father laughed at him. "Aww, look at little Dame-Tsuna. Can't take it?" He started walking towards Tsuna.
"LEAVE ME ALONE," Tsuna yelled.
"TSUNA!" a loud voice yelled. Then Ryohei burst through the fog like the sun.
"Sasagawa-san!" Tsuna breathed.
"YOU SHUT UP!" Ryohei yelled. "TSUNA IS THE MOST EXTREME PERSON I HAVE EVER MET. HE EVEN MADE MY SISTER EXTREMELY LET ME FIGHT. HE. IS. EEXXTRREEMMMEEE!"
He ran forward and punched Tsuna's father in the face. As he did so Tsuna saw his father's face flicker as if he wasn't real.
Tsuna felt his mind sharpen. Imposter, his mind whispered as he looked at the thing wearing his father's face. "[Observe]" he whispered.
"Fear-wraith LV16 HP100," reported the orange box. " This creature feeds off of the fear and despair others give off. To get close to its victims it takes the shape of loved ones in order to reject a person. Weak to light."
"Sasagawa-san! He isn't real! It's just a monster in disguise!" Tsuna yelled.
"EXTREMMEEE PUUNNCCHHH!" Ryohei yelled as he punched the thing in the face. The fear-wraith's HP dropped to zero and it disappeared.
Tsuna ran up to Ryohei. "We need to find Hibari-san! He doesn't know what these things are," he said.
Ryohei nodded. "He extremely went that way!" he said, pointed.
Tsuna and Ryohei started jogging in that direction, yelling "Hibari!"
"It takes the shape of loved ones! Don't listen to it!" Tsuna yelled.
"HIBARI! WHERE ARE YOU TO THE EXTREME!" yelled Ryohei.
To the left, Tsuna heard a growling. He raised his fists, but then Hibari stalked out of the fog.
"Herbivores," he growled
"Wait!" said Tsuna as Ryohei reached forward to grab Hibari. "[Observe]," Tsuna said. "Hibari Kyouya Demon Kid LV 11 HP 178 FP 70. Descended from Japanese warlords on one side and Chinese martial artists on the other, Hibari Kyouya is a fearsome warrior even at the tender age of ten. He considers it his sacred duty to protect Namimori and beat up weak "herbivores"."
"It's him," he told Ryohei. "Thank goodness you're here," Tsuna told Hibari as Ryohei yelled "EXTREME!" "The fog has fear-wraiths in them-creatures that look like people you care about-and they try to attack you that way. We need to stay together."
Hibari narrowed his eyes at Tsuna but acquiesced with a sharp nod. "They're weak to light," Tsuna continued. "I have a flashlight and several Molotovs. We can use the flashlight to find them and then the Molotovs to create an attack zone."
Both Ryohei and Hibari nodded at this, serious.
"Okay," said Tsuna. "Let's move."
He went in the middle with the flashlight. Hibari and Ryohei circled around him, killing the fear-wraiths Tsuna caught in the flashlight's beam. It soon became clear that the fear-wraiths were originating from three "cursed" areas, a broken and scraggly tree, a blackish, poisoned-looking pond, and a barren and rocky plot. These were the areas Tsuna used his Molotovs.
After Tsuna threw down his Molotovs, the fear-wraiths would start swarming them. That was an absolute free-for-all.
A fear-wraith with a face full of needle sharp teeth lunged at Tsuna. Tsuna used a basic punch with his right hand to smash its head. As it was reeling, he punched it with his left hand. "But you need to Extremely put all your strength into it. Like your extremely trying to punch through!" Ryohei had said. Tsuna lunged forward, all of his strength in his fist. The fear-wraith shrieked and vanished.
"Congratulations! You have created a combo [3 Punch KO]," an orange screen popped up. Tsuna dismissed it. He could contemplate it later. Right now he needed to focus on the battle.
The swarm lasted for about a minute at each spot. After all three were down, the ground started to rumble.
"Boss coming!" Tsuna yelled.
The fog convalesced in the center, swirling up and up into a huge towering creature.
"[Observe]," whispered Tsuna.
"Shadow of Fear LV32 HP500," reported the orange box. "A mass of fear and despair created by the combined emotions of thousands. Weak to light."
"Go after its legs!" Tsuna yelled. "I'll try to get its face!"
Ryohei and Hibari ran towards it. Tsuna backed up, Molotov in hand, trying to get a good path to the monster's face.
The monster yelled in rage as Hibari and Ryohei ran around it. It took a swipe at Ryohei, scratching him on the leg.
When Tsuna saw that, it was like everything in him went diamond clear. He saw the monster rear back slowly, through a film of orange. Almost without feeling it, he threw the Molotov, watching it soar through the air in a near perfect arch. It hit the thing it the face and shattered.
The monster clawed at its face, screaming. It knelt down, giving Hibari a chance to smash into it, knocking it to the ground. Ryohei and Tsuna ran towards it, Ryohei staggering and Tsuna with another Molotov. Ryohei started punching it and Tsuna smashed a Molotov over the thing's head.
The monster screamed again, flopping around on the ground. Its HP was almost zero. "One more time!" Tsuna yelled. He lit his last Molotov and stabbed the monster in the face just as Ryohei and Hibari smashed into it with respective weapons.
The thing gave one final scream and disappeared.
All the adrenalin disappeared from Tsuna's body and he sat back his butt. He stared at where the monster had been. Then he started to laugh in relief.
Next to him Ryohei punched the air with enthusiasm. "That was EXTREME!" he yelled.
On his other side Hibari allowed himself a smirk.
Once Tsuna stopped laughing he tended to Ryohei's wounds, earning himself another "Extreme!"
"You are truly an EXTREME MAN!" Ryohei told him. "Thanks," said Tsuna, bashfully.
"Yeah, so don't listen to your father. He's completely unextreme. You're extremely amazing!"
"In fact," Ryohei started. "If he ever comes back, I'll extremely punch him for you."
Tsuna smiled up at him. "Thank you," he said sincerely. He felt touched. Nobody had ever offered to do something like that for him before. They always said that he needed to show more appreciation, before they turned and started saying how his father must have left the family behind Tsuna's and Mama's backs.
"No problem! Hey, since we're both such EXTREME MEN, let's be brothers. Call me Onii-san!"
"Y-yes, Onii-san!" Tsuna said, overjoyed.
"Congratulations! Sasagawa Ryohei is now your Sun Guardian!" said a new orange pop-up.
"E-eh?" said Tsuna. He looked up at Ryohei. Above his head it said "Sasagawa Ryohei Tsuna's Sun Guardian LV 9."
Tsuna couldn't help it. He started laughing. His life was just getting crazier and crazier. Yet somehow he couldn't regret it.
Then Sasagawa Kyoko and Miura Haru discovered what was going on and Tsuna's little group of friends grew by two more.
….
AN: Holy cow this took forever. Still, I like how it turned out. I'm going back and tweaking a few numbers. Also, Tsuna's guardians aren't changing. The order in which he earns them definitely is.
