Tsuna didn't really have any expectations for what changes Reborn would bring to his life. He already brought enough problems to give Tsuna anxiety for the rest of his life. The mere thought that someone wanted him to be a future mafia boss was mind-boggling.
Him. Tsuna.
Tsuna.
He was still scared of dogs! And he had never done anything illegal in his life. Ever. Tsuna wouldn't know the first thing about being a mafia boss. The criminal life was not meant for him. It was for people who were stronger. Like Hibari. Hibari would be a good mafia boss.
"Don't worry Tsuna." Reborn's words cut off the violent image of Hibari running a criminal empire. On second thought, Hibari can never be a mafia boss. The world would end. "I'll train you to be the next Decimo. I don't complete my jobs half-heartedly. You'll be the strongest boss the Vongola has ever had."
They were on the morning walk to school. For some reason, Reborn felt the need to follow Tsuna. There was no clue as to why. It wasn't as if he'd have any reason for attending Tsuna's classes.
"I'm not going to be a mafia boss." Tsuna reminded him tiredly. Reborn didn't respond. It was as if he didn't even hear the words. Any protest Tsuna had was met with arrogant confidence of the opposite or the tutor just ignored Tsuna.
It was a rather concerning pattern.
They came upon the Asahi house. The house was owned by a nice old couple that retired in Namimori. They usually kept to themselves or were seen at the local farmer's market. Tsuna's problem wasn't with them, but with their pets. Or, to be more accurate, their habit of leaving their gate unlocked.
"Oh no." Tsuna mumbled. A small chihuahua nudged the gate open and walked out onto the sidewalk. His leash was missing. Tsuna took a wary step back as the dog began to growl and bare his teeth.
He didn't know why animals hated him. They just did. Either they ran away at the mere sight of Tsuna, or they went onto the offense. Like now. Most people wouldn't be scared of a chihuahua, but they haven't met this one. He once chased Tsuna to the edge of town without pause.
And now it was looking like it might happen again. Maybe if he made it follow him to school, Hibari would chase it off? But then he would bite Tsuna to death for disturbing the peace. Kyoko and Hana's route to school wasn't far. Kyoko was amazing with animals, so she might be able to calm the beast down. Of course, this meant Hana would make fun of Tsuna, but that was a price Tsuna was willing to pay.
He inched backward, preparing to run with this plan in mind. Just as he was about to make his run for it, there was a strange sound to his left. It was a clicking sound that made the hair rise on the back of his neck.
Danger - to the left!
Tsuna's head whipped around to look at what had caught his attention. What he saw made his mouth drop and his eyes widen. Reborn was standing on the wall, and a small green gun was in his hand. It was pointed at Tsuna's head.
That was a water gun, right? Real guns weren't painted green. So it had to be a water gun. Or an airsoft gun. Or - or - Tsuna's body was tensing and everything in his gut told him that the gun was real .
"You're so pathetic that you're scared small dogs. You should face your fears like a real man, and conquer them with your dying will." Tsuna was going to die. He knew this in his heart. Reborn pulled the trigger and Tsuna had no time to dodge, not that he would have been able to.
There was a stinging pain on the bridge between his eyes. Tsuna's body went limp and his things fell to the ground in a heap. He felt his body falling. He was dying. He could feel the grips of the afterlife clinging to his body and pulling at him.
It wasn't fair. Tsuna had too many regrets within him. He never got to save his club from its upcoming disbandment. If he died, then there was nothing stopping Kinamoto from shutting it down. His mother would be sad, now being left completely alone in that too-big house. Kyoko, Hana, and Haru would be sad. He wouldn't be able to help them research lost cities and artifacts. He'd have to leave Takamagahara up to them.
Takamagahara. He wouldn't be able to solve that mystery. He would never find out where it was, or if Kanji ever actually found it. All that work that Tsuna put into it would be wasted. For nothing. That something as stupid as being afraid of a dog would have made all of that work worthless - it pissed him off .
He felt his chest jerk, and there was the sensation of something breaking like a dam to a flood of emotion. As Tsuna fell, he pulled a foot back to stop his descent to the ground. He stood stock-still as a calmness overtook him.
For the first time in a long while, everything was quiet. He felt like those moments when he was deep into his research. When he was crouched over the computer and scouring the internet for every little clue he could find. Tsuna would be like that for hours, following every hunch his mind gave him and jotting everything he noticed into his journal.
But now that focus wasn't narrowed into just his computer. Now he was seeing the whole world through that lens. The sky was bright today, but he could smell rain and a storm in the air that suggested yesterday's weather was going to return soon.
There was no one on the street, but that wouldn't be for long. Students would start leaving for school soon. The dog in front of him had stopped growling and was now the one that was backing away in fear.
Click .
Tsuna lept before he even finished hearing the gun cocking. There was a sharp gunshot as a bullet - a real one this time - buried itself into the sidewalk where Tsuna had been standing. Reborn's face was shadowed beneath his hat so Tsuna couldn't see his face. Despite that, he had the feeling that Reborn wasn't expecting this sort of outcome of whatever he did before.
Tsuna's leap had launched him into the middle of the street, crouched in an almost superheroic pose. He rose from the crouch and looked at his hand and flexed it. He felt normal, but not at the same time. He could feel the tendons and muscles in this hands as he flexed them. There was an energy there that wanted to be released.
"What did you do?" Tsuna didn't raise his voice. He never did, preferring to either stay silent or ignore those who didn't matter. This time, however, it felt like he was shouting. But the words were still soft-spoken. His voice was deeper now and held a weight to them that wasn't there before.
There was a promise in his words, Tsuna realized. He didn't know what, exactly that promise was, but it was there. And if Reborn didn't answer him truthfully, then there were going to be problems. The itching feeling in his hands rose once more, and he flexed them to get rid of it.
Reborn's face remained shadowed for a moment as he kept silent. He was looking at his gun, but Tsuna' couldn't what expression he was making. The hitman's aura wasn't giving any clues to his mood either. Tsuna was usually good at guessing someone's emotions in a given moment, and something was telling him that he would be even better at it now when he was like this.
"What's happened to me?" Tsuna continued to ask, remaining where he was. Logically speaking, getting in close would be the smarter choice when faced with a gun. Guns had range and therefore being close would give him an advantage. But Tsuna refrained. His instincts were telling him that getting in close would be dangerous against an opponent like Reborn, who's shown himself to be a powerful opponent. If he could kick Tsuna across his room when not even trying to hurt the boy, it wasn't hard to imagine what he could do if given reason to really fight.
So distance would be needed until this was settled. Tsuna was semi-confident that he could dodge the bullets shot at him. Then it would just be a matter of getting to either the police department or Hibari, whichever would be closest.
"I miscalculated." Reborn finally looked up and faced Tsuna. His gun was gone, now in the form of Leon on his hand. The gecko had formed into the weapon, giving it the green appearance from before. While Tsuna wanted to ask about that, it would have to wait. Reborn kept still and calm as Tsuna eyed him warily.
He won't shoot me again.
The thought was firm, and Tsuna decided to trust it. His instincts have been only doing him favors so far, after all. He walked back to the sidewalk and grabbed his things from the ground. The dog was still on the sidewalk, now cowering and whimpering. Tsuna paused, and carefully nudged it back into its yard. After he confirmed that the gate was firmly shut, he began his trek to school.
"You didn't answer my second question." Tsuna reminded, knowing that Reborn was still keeping up with him. There was paused silence before Reborn answered.
"I hit you with a dying will bullet, which induced a death-like state that's meant to induce your inner flames to the surface with the conviction of a regret you had at death. That would then bring you into a faux-Hyper Dying Will form." Reborn's voice was flat and factual as he spoke. Tsuna let the words settle in his mind.
"Flames?" Tsuna questioned, glancing down at his hands. The itch was still there. He could almost imagine them becoming engulfed in fire, though it seemed impossible. It also seemed very painful. He made sure to keep the itch at bay, not wanting to risk burning himself by accident.
"Yes, flames." Reborn confirmed. Now he was ahead of Tsuna, still walking on the wall beside him. Though his back was to Tsuna, the boy could feel the man's full attention. At the very least, Tsuna wasn't the only one caught off guard from this whole ordeal.
"Everyone in the world has a dying will. Only a small percentage of those people can activate that dying will into concentrated flames. Most of those people are part of the mafia." Reborn lectured. It sounded impossible, or like a weird magic system from an anime. But Reborn didn't sound like he was lying. Though what weird magic flames had to do with the mafia confounded Tsuna.
"Why did you shoot me?" Tsuna asked. Even with this having to do with the mafia, Tsuna didn't understand why there would be a need for Tsuna to have his 'flames' brought out so suddenly. Especially with him not knowing about the flames in the first place. They were getting closer to the school now. Reborn stopped, forcing Tsuna to do so as well. Reborn turned to face Tsuna and regarded him carefully. Tsuna had the feeling that he was being tested, or judged in some manner. He tightened his hold on his bag and prepared himself for the possibility of needing to move at a moment's notice.
"If I told you that, you would become more involved with the mafia than you already are. Do you want that?" Tsuna frowned. He wanted to say this was a cop-out, but he knew it wasn't. Reborn was being serious.
Though the information would help him understand, Tsuna didn't want to be part of the mafia. If getting the information from Reborn meant that, then it wasn't worth it. Tsuna would rather find the answers for himself.
Reborn only said it would drag Tsuna further into the mafia if he told Tsuna. Reborn didn't say anything about Tsuna solving the mystery on his own.
"No." Tsuna answered honestly. There was a pause as a breeze swept through the area. For a split second, Tsuna thought he saw a smile quirk on Reborn's face. The moment was gone too quick for him to be sure, though. When he was sure that Reborn wasn't going to say anything, Tsuna walked past him. As he did so, Reborn hopped from the wall and landed on Tsuna's shoulder. The boy paused, tensing, but Reborn didn't do anything more.
Tsuna thought it odd but it didn't seem like something to worry about. So he kept walking and made sure to be careful to not jostle the man too much. The school was still quiet in the early morning. Tsuna had made sure to leave extra early to avoid any potential crowds. He didn't want a repeat of Yamamoto's fans from yesterday.
This meant that Tsuna didn't have any of the usual distractions on his way to the club room. He did get an odd look from the occasional DC member but he ignored those. They likely were weirded out by Reborn's presence on Tsuna's shoulder.
It wasn't like they could do anything about it. There weren't any strict rules against having a sibling with someone at school, and everyone would just assume Reborn was Tsuna's little brother. Tsuna still made it a point to avoid the DC's member hall where the reception room was situated. There was a chance that Hibari and Kusakabe were there.
Tsuna didn't want to test whether they would fall for that assumption as well. He had a feeling that Hibari would take one look at Reborn and know the man was stronger than he looked. If there was anything Hibari liked more than beating up rule-breakers, it was fighting strong opponents.
"Where are we going?" Reborn asked as Tsuna climbed the stairs up to the third floor. He didn't seem concerned at not knowing their destination. Tsuna was mildly surprised that Reborn didn't already know the answer.
"The club room." He answered. "The student council gave us a difficult spot to get to." He explained as they entered the stairs that led to the roof. Tsuna glanced down to Reborn curiously. "I thought you knew everything about my schedule?" It certainly seemed that way yesterday.
"I focused my research on your school work and authority problem," Reborn answered. "I know that you are in a club, but its location wasn't important enough to find." Because he was determined to get Tsuna to focus on becoming a mafia boss.
Reborn likely knew that they were going to the club room, but they were going in a direction one wouldn't expect for that. Tsuna became more sure of this as he unlocked the door to the staircase that led back down.
"This isn't on the school's blueprints." Reborn stated flatly, eyeing the dark walls and stairway blankly. Tsuna shrugged his free shoulder. He didn't know about that. It wasn't like he would have access to that kind of paperwork. It seemed to be more in line with those like Kinamoto and Hibari.
Curious how Reborn got his hands on them.
They got to the club room fairly quickly. Tsuna dutifully turned on the coffee maker as he passed it, carefully stepping over its cord. Reborn jumped off his shoulder onto the table. He looked around the room curiously, picking up a printed-out picture of a topographical map of Nara. Kyoko must have printed it yesterday.
As Tsuna sat at the laptop and booted it up, a wave of tiredness overtook him. Tsuna rocked in his seat and blinked sleepily. His body slumped over, and he felt sore all over. He looked at himself in confusion.
"What?" He mumbled. Tsuna's head felt like it had gotten shoved full of cotton balls. What happened to him? He looked to Reborn in silent question. Whatever was happening wasn't normal.
"Twenty minutes," Reborn had a stopwatch in his hands. It was green, and it morphed back into Leon. Could the gecko turn into whatever he wanted? "Impressive for the first time." Tsuna's eyes were drooping now. He struggled to keep them open.
Before Tsuna could ask any more questions, his eyes fell shut. Darkness overcame him, and Tsuna slept. He wasn't sure for how long he slept, but it was a deep sleep. Nothing was going to wake Tsuna up easily.
When he did wake up, it was to the smell of coffee and the sounds of shuffling paper. Tsuna was slumped over a table and there was a blanket over his shoulders. Tsuna blinked his eyes open slowly. He was in the club room. Kyoko was standing by the map and was pinning a photo to it. Hana was by one of the file cabinets, grumbling as she rifled through it.
Reborn was on the table, sitting next to the coffee maker. In his hands was Tsuna's mug. He was drinking from it with a calm expression. He was smiling. Tsuna stared at him in pure confusion for a beat.
"Good morning Tsuna." Reborn greeted smugly. Tsuna squinted at the tutor, immediately suspicious. Something was wrong. Why would Reborn look so smug? And why was he drinking from Tsuna's mug?
Why was Reborn even in the club room? He followed Tsuna to school, but the boy didn't expect Reborn to actually follow him into the building? Why was Tsuna sleeping anyway? He got enough sleep last night so he shouldn't have been so tired anyway -
"Oh my god!" Tsuna rocked up, causing the green blanket that was on him to fall. Before it could fall to the ground, it glowed for a brief second and turned into Leon. Leon who had turned into a gun earlier. A gun that was fired at Tsuna.
"Tsuna!" Kyoko turned from the map with a smile. "You're up! Reborn's using your mug for now, until I can find one for him." She informed as if that was remotely on Tsuna's mind.
Well, it was previously, but now it didn't matter. What mattered was that - " You shot me! " Tsuna accused Reborn, pointing at him. Reborn, the menace, simply took a long sip of coffee without responding.
"Are you having weird dreams?" Hana asked, looking up from her search briefly. "And where did you file the papers about the club? Specifically, the ones stating our placement in this room." She jerked a thumb at Reborn.
"The baby said that this room isn't on the blueprints, so I'm going to argue that this place isn't school property and that we need a new place. Kinamoto is going to give us a room that I can breathe in if it's the last thing I do." Tsuna gaped, mouth opening and closing like a surprised fish.
"Fifth cabinet to the right, two drawers down." He mumbled, pointing to the destination. Hana moved accordingly and let out a triumphant grunt when finding the papers. By the map, Kyoko frowned at Hana with a pout.
"But this room is so cool." She sighed. "It fits the aesthetic of our club perfectly!" Hana scoffed and gave her friend the stink eye.
"If I have to shimmy around this table just to get a cup of coffee one more time I'm going to scream." She stated flatly. "And I want something close to a bathroom." The latter statement was more encouraging to Kyoko, who nodded sadly at it.
"That would be useful." She agreed mournfully.
Meanwhile, Tsuna went back to his staring contest with Reborn. The tutor looked perfectly fine in the environment. He had cleared a small area on the table to sit at. Next to him was a neat pile of papers, likely the ones he moved to clear the area, and in his lap was a leather book.
Tsuna's leather book.
"That's mine!" Tsuna reached forward and snatched the journal. Luckily, Reborn let Tsuna grab it. The boy was under no illusions now. If Reborn didn't want Tsuna to have the journal, then Tsuna wouldn't have been able to grab it. Tsuna flicked through the pages quickly, intent on making sure that nothing was missing from it. At first glance, it looked undisturbed.
Small mercies.
"You're looking for a lost city." Reborn noted, looking at a drawing that was pinned to the corner of the wall map. It was one drawn by Kyoko. She had made it as her own imagining of the city, sitting on a cloud in the sky above a mountain. At the base of the city were four chibi characters, each representing Tsuna, Hana, Haru, and Kyoko respectfully. Originally it was just the trio, but Kyoko added Haru to it after the girl 'joined' the club.
"Yeah," Tsuna agreed warily. He wanted to ask about what happened this morning. The bullet, the 'flames', and well everything. But he didn't. Reborn had warned him that the more Tsuna knew, the harder it would be to stay out of the mafia.
"It's in Nara." Kyoko chirped. She was now helping Hana go through the student council papers. There were a lot of them, mostly consisting of a lot of disbandment notices and warnings. Hana scoffed once more but didn't argue.
"It might be in Nara." Tsuna said, giving Kyoko a wane smile when she pouted at him. "Right now we're trying to narrow down the search." This time, Hana looked up from the papers and scowled at Tsuna.
"No. Right now, we're looking to get new members to the club." She corrected sharply. Tsuna was quick to nod in agreement, not wanting to earn her ire. Hana then looked to Reborn with a critical eye. "Are you old enough to join a club?" She asked him.
"No!" Tsuna shouted before Reborn could answer. Hana and Kyoko looked to him in surprise at the burst. Tsuna flushed but kept his stance. "He can't join the club. He's already graduated from school." Tsuna was not about to call Reborn a baby again.
"Tsuna's right." Reborn said with a nod. Tsuna let out a silent sigh of relief at this. Good, he wasn't going to fight against having Reborn join. It was bad enough that Tsuna had to live with the guy as a tutor. Between that, the mafia, and the shooting thing, Tsuna didn't want any more interaction with the man than that was needed.
"How many members do you need?" Reborn asked.
"Eight." Tsuna explained. "We have four - five if you count Haru - and need three more before the new year." That was the limit that Hana and he had given themselves. Any longer than that was too dangerous. Kinamoto's fear of Hibari would only last so long, and the principal would be swayed by her despite his own fear eventually.
Reborn hummed quietly and took another drink from Tsuna's mug. He then gave a sharp nod and stood up.
"Interesting." He said shortly. "Thank you for the coffee," He tipped a hat to Kyoko. She giggled, and Tsuna felt a stab of annoyance. He was the one to turn the coffee maker on in the first place. "I'll see you later Tsuna." And with that Reborn hopped down from the table and left.
With Tsuna's mug.
"One of us should go with him," Kyoko mumbled. "He doesn't have a key for the door." Normally Tsuna would agree.
"I don't think he'll have a problem getting past the door." Tsuna said mournfully. He fell back into his chair with a slump and groaned out loud. He scrubbed his hands on his face and tried to erase the morning's events from his mind.
"Who was the guy really?" Hana asked. Tsuna peeked at her from between his fingers. She scowled at his incredulous expression. "He's a baby that talks like an adult. When we came in, he said that he was a hitman tutor." She crossed her arms with a glare.
"We live in a town where the police are a joke and everything is run by the Hibari clan. Kyoko's brother once got hit by a truck and only got a broken arm for the trouble. This school is controlled by the student council and the disciplinary committee." She was ticking each fact off her hand in a dry voice.
"And we are looking for a mythological city with the full intention of finding it somewhere despite every logical claim saying that it doesn't exist. Namimori is weird, and anyone that lives here is weird. So. What. Is. His. Deal?" Her hands slammed down on the table and she leaned across it, looking ready to strangle Tsuna for answers.
It would seem that Hana's paranoia made her more aware of Namimori's weirdness than what was normal. Tsuna had noticed it before but had ignored it. Namimori was Namimori. There wasn't a point in trying to find any explanation for it.
"It's complicated." Tsuna squeaked.
"So uncomplicate it." Hana ordered. As if it were that easy. Tsuna slumped further into his chair with another groan.
"I don't even know if I'm allowed to say anything!" He confessed. "It's about my dad and his work. It's, well, not normal." That was an understatement. Hana didn't look impressed by the answer in the slightest.
Then Kyoko, beautiful and wonderful Kyoko, stepped forward with a calming smile.
"It's okay if you can't say anything," Kyoko said, ignoring Hana's frustrated growl. "But if you need help with anything, we're here for you." This was why Kyoko was Tsuna's favorite. She was so nice and didn't ask Tsuna to do anything crazy-
"And when that happens you'll tell us everything because we're friends and keeping secrets from your friends is bad." Nevermind. Kyoko was the worst. A witch. She built you up just to tear you down with guilt and shame.
Hana smirked, likely knowing his thoughts.
"Okay." Tsuna agreed with a strangled sigh. There was no getting out of this. He could just sense it. Hana and Kyoko would torture him until he fessed up to everything. Tsuna could only hope that he convinced Reborn to drop the mafia thing by then.
That was possible, right? He hoped so.
Deciding to put it out of his mind, Tsuna started working on what he wanted to do before falling asleep. Research. He pulled up the tabs that he had open the day before and began reaching down for the cabinet by his knees.
"Did you find anything in your research yesterday?" He asked Kyoko. "Kanji's travels to Hokkaido seemed to have stopped in the Okhotsk subprefecture. I wasn't able to narrow down to where in there, however." Tsuna didn't know why Kanji stopped there. Honestly, Hokkaido was one of the places that Tsuna doubted the city resided. It was well populated enough that it would be hard to hide a whole city.
But Kanji obviously saw a reason to go there.
"I couldn't find any secure sources on where he went." Kyoko admitted. "But, remember when we found out what ship he used to visit Kunashiri Island?" She asked. Tsuna nodded, remembering that day. Kyoko was very proud of finding the information.
"Well, they aren't conclusive reports, but I saw some old pictures from the visitor's travel site for Shari. In the background of one, I saw the Ukihashi." That was amazing. Tsuna met Kyoko's excitement with his own grin.
"In Shari?" He confirmed, already grabbing his journal and making a note of it. Kyoko nodded and pointed up to the photo she had pinned to the map earlier. Sure enough, it was a black and white photo that showed the Ukihashi in the background. Interestingly, there was a large island and mountain in the picture as well. It looked familiar to Tsuna.
"The picture was with the collection of images for the Shiretoko National Park." Kyoko said proudly. Tsuna's eyes widened. Of course! That wasn't just any mountain, it was Mt. Usu! An active volcano in the national park.
"Why was he there?" Tsuna asked out loud. It would have been before the park was established. Kyoko shrugged, just as unsure. Tsuna hummed to himself before turning to the computer. He had work to do.
Tsuna didn't see Reborn again that morning, thankfully. Though he did still cause trouble for Tsuna. It seemed that the tutor had taken Tsuna's key when he was sleeping. Thankfully both Kyoko and Hana had theirs, so Tsuna wasn't trapped in the club's stair hall.
Other than that mishap, there were no other interruptions in Tsuna's day. No one even glared at him or purposely bumped into him. It was weird. Tsuna's shoulders hunched over with each moment of peace. Something was happening, but he didn't know what. There were glances to him in the halls, and whispers, but when he tried to pay attention to them the students stopped and scattered.
It was unnerving.
Tsuna didn't have to wait long before the other shoe dropped. When the lunch bell rang, shadows engulfed his desk. The figures surrounding him weren't Kyoko and Hana. Instead, it was Mochida and his friends from Kendo.
That's right. Tsuna threw them under the bus yesterday, didn't he?
This was bad. Tsuna could barely make out the forms of Hana and Kyoko from between the boys. They were staying back and had varying shades of worry on their faces. Tsuna gulped and sent a prayer that he didn't get too many bruises this time. He didn't want to worry his mother.
They weren't going to attack Tsuna now, of course. This would just be a warning before they jumped him after school. Or, if Tsuna was really unlucky, they would just drag him out to a secluded spot in the school to rough him up before Hibari and the DC members noticed.
"Sawada." Mochida growled. A bandage was on his face from Hibari's beat down yesterday. Tsuna gave him a wobbly smile.
"Mochida-san." He responded, trying to keep his voice calm. It was more of a squeak than he liked, but it was better than the scared cry he wanted to do. This was going to be fine. Just get it done and over with, and move on with his life. Mochida wasn't the worst monster in the world.
"You are a menace." Mochida spat. Tsuna frowned at the word usage. That - didn't seem right. Tsuna was a lot of things - weird, scared, weak, and many more - but a menace wasn't one that he would use.
"If it wasn't for you getting in the way, Kyoko-chan would be mine already." What. Tsuna's eyes widened and he glanced at the other boys. They looked just as serious as Mochida. This wasn't happening, surely?
"Not only that, you blamed us for your problems to the teachers." That made more sense. Tsuna did pin the blame of his missing homework on them. Because it was true. "And because of you, Hibari attacked us!"
"I don't think that's how it-" Tsuna began weakly.
"So I'm challenging you to a fight!" Mochida shouted over Tsuna, drowning the words. Tsuna leaned back in his seat at the angry light in Mochida's eyes. He was really mad at Tsuna. This was worse than what Tsuna expected.
"Not only for my own honor but for Kyoko-chan's as well! After school, face me in the gym for a kendo duel. The winner gets Kyoko-chan and his honor. If you don't show, then you forfeit." Tsuna gaped, unbelieving of this. Did Mochida think it was the Edo period still?
Before Tsuna could protest, they marched out of the room. The class was whispering, and Tsuna could see some students rushing out to spread the news. Namichuu's gossip mill was legendary. Everyone in school would know about the 'duel' before lunch was over.
The girls in class were all giggling in their whispers. They were looking at Kyoko, congratulating her on having Mochida's affections for her. Kyoko was flushing in embarrassment and Hana looked ready to murder someone.
Tsuna quickly got up and gathered his things. He approached the girls, and gave Kyoko an apologetic smile, and tried to block any view of her to the class.
"Let's go have lunch on the roof." He suggested. Hana took a deep breath and nodded sharply. She grabbed her and Kyoko's things and then helped guide Kyoko through the hallways. Anytime someone got too close or stared too hard, she sent them a glare hard enough to send them retreating.
When they got to the roof, Hibari could be seen on the far side, napping. Kusakabe was nearby with his phone in hand. He chewed on a straw weed idly and looked up at their entrance. Tsuna gave him a small wave as the trio settled near the door. They knew better than to get any closer to Hibari.
Though Hana looked ready to march over there without any care for waking the prefect. Luckily for all of them, Kusakabe began walking to them of his own volition. He stopped by the group and gave them an apologetic grimace.
"Nothing can be done." Kusakabe said before Hana could begin raging. Her face pinched with anger at the news.
"Because he didn't proposition Kyoko to her face." She spat. Kusakabe nodded.
"He challenged Sawada, and never spoke to Sasagawa-chan. Legally, he didn't break any rules." Kusakabe paused. "Of course, his terms are not binding. If she doesn't want to be with him, Sasagawa-chan has full rights to ignore his claims. If he tries to enforce them, we'll stop it." He assured.
That was good to hear, but Tsuna didn't feel any better about the situation. He glanced to Kyoko, who was still red in the face. Her mouth was pulled into a flat expression that looked painful. She was trying not to cry.
"That hardly matters." Hana growled. "As far as the monkeys in this school will be concerned, it'll be exactly like he wants. They'll all think they're dating." Which is what Mochida wants. He might like Kyoko, but he likes her popularity more. The 'status' of dating her was what he wanted.
"But I can't fight him," Tsuna said with a grimace. "I'll lose to him no matter what. He's stronger than me normally, let alone in kendo. And if I miraculously win, then I'm just part of the problem." Tsuna frowned. It wasn't fair.
"Life's not fair." Reborn's voice appeared from Tsuna's right. He jumped with a shriek, surprised. The other three all looked to Reborn, who was standing next to Tsuna in a classic bushido costume. Tsuna stared at the image, blinking in hopes that it would go away.
So Reborn is a cosplayer like Haru. Good to know.
Wait. "How did you know what I was thinking?" Tsuna asked. He didn't speak out loud, did he? Reborn smirked at Tsuna.
"I can read minds." He answered. Which was ridiculous. Kusakabe eyed Reborn curiously, narrowing at his lack of uniform and overall appearance.
"Who is this?" He asked. Tsuna gulped and let out a nervous laugh.
"It's my tutor, my mom hired him to help me with my, troubles, with the teachers." Tsuna explained.
"And with the student council." Reborn added as if that would help . Kusakabe hummed and chewed on his straw weed some more. Tsuna prayed that the explanation would be enough. Please let him have this one bit of luck. For once.
"If there's anything the Disciplinary Committee can do, just ask." Kusakabe merely said. He then turned and left to resume his place near Hibari. Tsuna let out a breath of relief. Finally, something went his way.
Which brought him back to his current problem. Mochida. Tsuna was serious when he said there was no way to win against the other boy. He was the captain of the kendo team, despite only being a first-year student.
Tsuna was weak. He ran out of breath after doing normal laps in gym class. He was notorious for being the worst in anything that had to do with physical activity. It was why he was last to be picked for any team in gym. He was also the last resort if the last resort couldn't make it to an inter-class sports game.
Mochida was smart in who to challenge.
"I'm sorry Kyoko." Tsuna sighed shamefully. This was a big mess, and Tsuna couldn't help. She jerked in place and gave him a tight smile.
"It's not your fault." She said softly. Tsuna frowned. That didn't make it right either. If only there was something that they could do.
"The answer is obvious." Reborn piped up, spearing through the melancholy that was clouding the group. Tsuna turned to the tutor with hope.
"Do you have an idea on how to fix this?" He asked. Maybe Reborn would know how to get Mochida to call this off and leave Kyoko alone. If so, Tsuna might be able to forgive the man for everything else that's happened since his arrival.
"Yes," Reborn confirmed. Now Hana and Kyoko were both paying attention as well. "Tsuna must face Mochida and strike him down, to restore his and Kyoko-chan's honor." Reborn was in a mysterious stance as if he were playing a part in a theatrical play as a rurouni samurai.
"That's not helping at all!" Tsuna exclaimed. "I can't fight Mochida! And that doesn't solve the issue about his claims for Kyoko!" Tsuna wasn't going to fight for Kyoko's affections. That was ridiculous and demeaning. If he even entertained the thought, Hana would murder him.
"No, the baby's onto something," Hana said suddenly. Tsuna's head whipped to her in horror. What? She couldn't be serious. She met his gaze head-on, eyes flinty. "Beat Mochida in the fight, and then Kyoko can step forward and challenge you. She beats you, and then no one can do this again because I'm going to make it illegal to do so."
It wasn't a bad plan, but there was one problem. "I can't win against him." Tsuna pointed out. Hana waved off the concern.
"Then she'll challenge Mochida. Kyoko can beat the monkey either way." She said confidently. Kyoko, who had been mostly silent during Hana's idea, frowned.
"I don't want to fight anyone." She murmured. Hana clucked her tongue in disapproval but nodded.
"Okay." She said. "Fine, you don't challenge anyone. I challenge the winner and beat the hell out of them." Hana shrugged when both Tsuna and Kyoko looked at her in surprise. "I prefer to work in the background, but I'm not afraid to set stupid monkeys straight if I have to."
Somehow this does not surprise Tsuna in the slightest.
"In that case, I guess it'll work out fine no matter what." Tsuna admitted. Even if he lost, then it wouldn't put Kyoko in a bad situation. The trio worked out the kinks of the plan and even called in Kusakabe to get his people in on it. The Disciplinary Committee would watch over the event to ensure there was no cheating, and that once Hana's challenge was issued, it would be recognized. Tsuna wasn't excited to get beaten up by Mochida, but if it was for Kyoko then he'd suck it up.
The rest of the school day passed by in a flash, leaving Tsuna to stand at the doors to one of the gymnasiums. Muffled behind the door was the sound of excited chatter and the squeaks of shoes against the waxed floors. Tsuna stared at the doors with dismay and tried to keep the shaking of his hands under control. The only thing that kept him from rattling out of his skin was the knowledge that, no matter what happens, everything will work out. Even if he lost, which he will, Kyoko will be fine.
"You plan on losing?" Reborn asked. Reborn was on his shoulder again. Tsuna doesn't know when Reborn hopped up there, and he honestly wasn't too surprised at this point. Of course, Reborn would be here to chastise Tsuna's choices.
"I don't expect to win." Tsuna corrected. "Mochida is stronger than me." Obviously. Tsuna had no chance of fighting against the boy. Reborn let out a soft hum before responding.
"It's more honorable to try, and fail, than to not try at all." He said cryptically. Tsuna frowned. How was that supposed to help him? "Just because you'll lose, doesn't mean you can't try to win." Oh, that makes sense.
"Stop reading my mind please." Tsuna asked. He doesn't think the plea will be answered. He looked to his shoulder, and Reborn was already gone. As if he were never there. Of course. Maybe Tsuna was going crazy now.
"He has a point though." Tsuna muttered to himself. Just because he was going to lose, didn't mean he couldn't fight against Mochida. What the other boy was doing wasn't right. The least Tsuna could do for Kyoko, is to make this hard for Mochida to achieve.
Determination filled his chest and Tsuna walked into the gym with his head held high. When inside, he immediately wished that he ran away. The gym was filled to the brim. Hibari was standing on a referee's perch, and it was a miracle that he didn't kill them all for the crowding.
It seemed as if the whole school was there. He could even see the other sports clubs there, who were normally at training by now. Tsuna's class was at the front, and he could see Hana and Kyoko near the front. They were by the sidelines of the court, where Mochida was waiting while in full kendo gear.
Tsuna walked to the court. A set of gear was waiting for him. It was provided by the kendo club, which was enough to make Tsuna suspicious by itself. Mochida was smirking from his place across the court.
"I'm ready when you are, Dame-Tsuna!" He taunted. Tsuna tried to lift the armor, and almost keeled over in the effort. Just how heavy was this stuff? How was Mochida able to stand? Mochida let out a barking laugh that was soon echoed by the crowd.
"If you're having so much trouble, we'll help you into the gear." He waved a hand and those from the kendo club came forward to help Tsuna into the armor. Tsuna hesitated and eyed the armor that took three boys to lift.
"Actually, I'll forego the armor." Tsuna decided. The gear would be way too heavy for him to move in. It would mean any hit that Mochida got in on him would hurt like hell , but it was the only way for Tsuna to have a chance.
"I'll just take the shinai." The boys glanced between each other and shrugged, dropping the armor with a loud thud. Tsuna took the offered shinai. It was heavy too. He had trouble holding it up, which seemed rather pathetic. It was a bamboo shinai, surely he wasn't so weak he couldn't hold it?
Apparently, he was. Tsuna grunted with the effort to hold the shinai up. But he accomplished it and took his place on the gym floor.
"I just want to state," He said loudly. "That I do not think this challenge is appropriate. But I won't let Mochida-san get away with doing whatever he wants." Bold words, but it would piss Mochida off. It would also make him less likely to suspect any surprises from Tsuna.
"Tough words from a weak nerd like you!" Mochida growled, falling for the bait. "The first one to three points wins the challenge to keep his honor and have Kyoko-chan!" The kendo club let out a cheer at this, backing Mochida up.
The crowd was swept up in the energy and cheered alongside them. Mochida smiled and slammed his helmet on. From above, Hibari looked between the two boredly. In his hands was a red flag. He lifted it, and then let it drop.
Once it hit the floor, the match officially started. Mochida wasted no time in rushing forward. Tsuna froze, unsure what to do. He's never practiced kendo before. Maybe it was a mistake to think he had a chance at fighting back.
There was a banging sound that was hard to hear over the crowd. But Tsuna did hear it, and he knew what it was. He only had a brief moment of dread pooling in his gut before there was a stinging pain in his forehead for the second time that day.
It happened within the span of a single second. Tsuna felt his body jerk with the motion of being shot. He began to fall and his body became limp. He was dying. Tsuna was going to die. He could feel the cold grip on his heart, squeezing. It wanted to take him, and end his life.
His mother was going to cry at the funeral. The club would be disbanded. And he wouldn't get to see Takamagahara. All of his plans that he's carefully put together would crumble. There would be no university, no going abroad, nothing.
Just because Mochida was being an idiot. Because this monkey couldn't take a point if it smacked him in the face. Kyoko was going to cry and have to deal with Mochida being smug at Tsuna keeling over without him even hitting him once.
Tsuna had a lot of regrets. They were piling up inside of him. Each one was fighting for dominance, wanting to spill over and push him over the edge. He could feel the anger, guilt, shame, and regret choking him, stabbing him in the chest. Those emotions attacked the coldness that was trying to kill him, and they fought back. Tsuna wasn't going to die here.
Not yet.
Tsuna inhaled sharply and let his body fall more to avoid the swipe that Mochida tried to hit him with. Tsuna used gravity to pull him out of Mochida's reach, and he then twisted his body to the side. He brought his arm up in a swipe, the arc wide and heading right for Mochida's shocked face.
Mochida let out a curse and blocked, stepping back quickly. This gave Tsuna room to stand up straight. He rolled his shoulders and regarded the room once more. The crowd had hushed, and he could feel the eyes of many upon him. One of them was Hibari, whose gaze felt like the burning sun on Tsuna's skin.
A concern for later. Right now, he needs to focus on Mochida. The shinai Tsuna had was weighted. He could really feel it now, after have swung it. Tsuna adjusted his grip so that the weight would cause less of a problem for him.
Tsuna held the shinai up in a defensive stance and waited. Rushing in would do him no good. Mochida had the upper hand, and he would expect it. Tsuna needed to wait and be on the defense. If he was patient, then Mochida would give him an opening.
"You bastard!" Mochida shouted, fury igniting his eyes. He rushed forward once more. His shinai was up high, ready for a downward swing. Tsuna let Mochida get closer, both to give him a better chance at surprising the other, and to also see if he would change his stance. It seemed rather foolish to showcase his next move like that.
Lucky for Tsuna, Mochida was going easy on him. He attempted a downward strike. Tsuna nimbly stepped to the side to dodge the attack. As he did so, Tsuna brought his arm up and slammed the shinai into the side of Mochida's torso.
It was a point. Tsuna quickly skipped backward to give himself some distance. Mochida stumbled in place. When he got his balance back, Mochida turned on his heel and faced Tsuna once more.
Tsuna cocked his head and put himself back into a defensive position. The person who was supposed to be calling the points had yet to say anything. They were from the kendo club. Tsuna wasn't too surprised at the obvious favor towards Mochida.
"Point for Sawada!" Kusakabe announced sharply. Next to him, were a set of DC members. One was waving a white flag and two others were holding a scoreboard. They flipped a point onto Tsuna's side of the board.
Mochida squawked, turning towards Kusakabe. "What the hell?" He asked. "Who said you could give out points?" He pointed his shinai at Kusakabe as if that would intimidate the taller man. Kusakabe glanced at Mochida with a raised brow.
"The Disciplinary Committee is overseeing this match to ensure that it's fair to both parties." It was a more polite way of saying I did . Kusakabe was good with speaking with subtext like that. It was something he and Hana had in common.
Tsuna used Mochida's distraction to his advantage. He dashed forward and struck out. The shinai snapped against the neck of Mochida's armor. Mochida rocked with the strike with a yelp of pain. The weighted shinai had more force behind it than a normal one, so it likely hurt more than he would have expected.
"Point for Sawada!" Kuskabe called out again as Tsuna danced backward once more. Two points. Tsuna just needed one more to win. Mochida pulled himself upright and growled lowly. He glared at Tsuna from behind his helmet, and with a war cry, he rushed forward.
This time, he wasn't playing around. Tsuna had to dodge multiple strikes with his shinai. At one point, Tsuna was forced to block a strike to his head with the shinai. He was using both hands, bracing the 'blade' of the shinai against the palm of his hand.
Mochida's strike broke through the bamboo, snapping it in half. Tsuna turned his head to the side and rolled to the side. It bounced most of the force of the hit away, but he had still been struck on the collarbone.
"Point for Mochida!" Kusakabe called. Mochida smirked down at Tsuna's crouched form. He then pushed forward with the attack. Tsuna was forced to roll out of the way again. His shinai was broken in half, giving him a major reach disadvantage.
So he needed to get close.
Tsuna spun around and put himself into a firm stance. Mochida grinned and came for the attack. Tsuna let him, waiting until the last moment for his moment. Mochida snapped his shinai against Tsuna's side. Tsuna used this moment to push forward as the other boy was unable to go to the defense so quickly. His broken shinai smacked the front of Mochida's helmet.
"One point for Mochida, and one for Sawada!" The scoreboard was adjusted at the shout. "Sawada Tsuna wins!" There was silence in the gym. No one expected this outcome. Mochida was frozen in place.
Tsuna could see into the helmet from this close. Mochida was gaping in shock. He couldn't believe it. Tsuna, who was the least popular boy in the school, just defeated him at his own game. It made Tsuna pity the boy.
He stepped away from Mochida's form. The kendo club surged forward to surround Mochida. They guided the boy away from the mats and the eyes of the crowd. Tsuna stood still, looking over the crowd carefully.
Hana wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"SAWADA!" Tsuna turned. As expected, Hana stood at the edge of the mats. She was dressed in kendo armor as Mochida had been. In her hands was a fresh shinai. He couldn't see her face from behind the helmet, but he knew that she was smirking evilly.
"I'm challenging you for Kyoko's affection! The first one to a single point wins!" Tsuna smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I accept." He said cooly, already preparing himself into a defensive position. On the sidelines, the scoreboard was refreshed and the red flag was back in Hibari's hands. He didn't look as bored as before, but he started the event with the same nonchalance.
When the red flag hit the floor, neither opponent moved. Hana and Tsuna stood stock still, appraising each other. They both knew the plan. She would win no matter what. But, Tsuna knew that Hana's pride would make her want to win properly.
It wouldn't be a hard accomplishment. Tsuna could feel his body beginning to flag. The shinai was broken and lighter now, but it had done its toll already. His arms were aching from the previous fight. Tsuna was sure that if he needed to, he could push through it. That need wasn't present, however, so he let his arms weigh down just enough that it gave his shoulders a break.
Hana seemed to notice his weariness and took it as her invitation. She darted forward, quicker than expected, and began her attack. Her strikes were quick but sloppy. Hana knew even less than Tsuna when it came to kendo, so her form was all over the place.
That said, it was still hard to block her. Tsuna dodged and blocked her strikes with steadily growing slowness. He was getting tired. His eyes drooped and for a second he almost blacked out. He was at his limit.
Hana's point was a brutal hit to Tsuna's chest that would give him a large bruise later. Tsuna wouldn't know right away, because he was passed out before even hitting the ground. As he felt the world darken, he smiled.
They won, and Tsuna got to beat Mochida at the same time. Maybe he was lucky after all.